By TrueSport
Access to sport should be a universal right for kids, but unfortunately, even school sports have issues with access that are dependent on socioeconomic status. From away games and high gear costs to simple access to practice areas in urban environments, there are a lot of hidden ways that sport becomes inaccessible to many aspiring athletes.
By TrueSport
As a young athlete, it’s natural to feel like there are many things in your life that are outside of your control. But often, we underestimate just how much control we do have over interactions with other people, including coaches, parents, officials, physicians, dietitians, and even our peers and teammates.
By TrueSport
As an athlete, your circle of care – from friends to coaches – is extremely important to your physical wellbeing and your mental wellness. TrueSport Athlete Ambassador Abby Raymond had to learn the hard way how to create a strong circle around her at a time when everything seemed bleak. Here, she’s sharing her story of how a tough situation became an opportunity —and how that could only happen with the right support network.
Talking to kids about body safety is no ‘one and done’ kind of conversation. Truly effective sexual abuse prevention education requires a change in our culture – how we talk about their growing bodies, what concepts like consent really mean, and being real about how exactly abuse happens.
Jennifer Wooden Mitchell and Rosemary Wooden Webb – Co-Presidents of Child Lures Prevention/Teen Lures Prevention Educational – outline five reasons to talk to your children about sexual abuse.
A four-page summary that highlights USA Gymnastics’ abuse and misconduct prevention efforts is also included and may be used as a resource and shared with parents and concerned adults.
Incidents like these help us realize that no community or organization is immune to child sexual abuse. Even when there are prevention programs in place, it takes training and empowering all adults who interact with children to ensure kids are as safe as possible.
Another competitive season is underway and thousands of gymnasts across the country will be traveling to meets near and far over the next few months. Many parents think that their role in the travel preparations is to make sure the gym bag is packed with everything their son or daughter needs and that their child arrives at the gym on time.
Child Lures Prevention (an educational partner of USA Gymnastics We Care Campaign) and L Raphael Geneve have created a free video to help keep millions of children worldwide safe from abuse.
Just as we want our children to be the best possible citizens in their schools, gymnastics clubs, neighborhoods and communities, so too do we want them to be responsible Digital Citizens. How best can we help ensure they are doing so, supporting them with the proper amount of parental monitoring?