Sport as a Unifying Tool for Youth

When you have options, troubles melt away.

When troubled youth see they have viable options, they realize their lives have direction and  possibility. At Samaritas, we strive to show the youth in our foster care, behavioral health and adoption programs, whether troubled or not, that they have a life full of possibilities – and one of the best ways to channel anxieties or nervous energy is through sports.

Overcoming adversity begins with letting go of the victim persona and assuming responsibility for the self. Sport can be an effective tool through which youth find purpose, strength, emotional confidence and camaraderie. Plus, sport offers discipline, teaches perseverance and encourages positivity.

At this time of year, the youth in our programs are active outdoors – whether at camp, kicking a soccer ball around outside one of our refugee youth homes or running through sprinklers in the yard.

Many of the traumatic events at-risk youth face include abuse, neglect, domestic violence, community and school violence, medical trauma, accidents, natural disaster and other traumatic losses. The American Psychological Association estimates that more than two thirds of children report experiencing a traumatic event by age 16. While the circumstances and events influencing youth who have experienced adjustment difficulties, behavioral problems, academic failure, or mental health difficulties are sometimes uncontrollable, their reactions and emotional responses to the situations are within their control.

One of the things we see time and again is when teenage boys from a variety of nations arrive to our refugee youth homes in mid-Michigan--sometimes speaking the same language but sometimes unable to communicate at all--the glue that bonds them to one another is sport. Usually it’s a soccer ball tossed in the air for the fastest boy to grab, and then it’s all-out endurance and play as they kick it back and forth, learn to work as a team, shine in their own strengths and realize the strengths of others around them.

Sport is a unifier, and it’s an important one that perpetuates the notion of self-reliance in the concept of community. It’s also a great tool for channeling aggression, frustration and disappointment, turning negative feelings into positive endorphins that can make all the difference in a developing youngster.

Sports incorporate life skills, such as increasing self-awareness and coping with emotions. Through physical training, sports has the potential to become a powerful vehicle to address risk factors.  These instincts, if channeled properly, can turn a young person into a fearless goal keeper, an attentive batter, an agile quarterback. And the next step beyond a position on the field is confidence, courage and balance in every aspect of life.

Organized sports help convey positive identity and feelings of empowerment, while guiding youth to acquire leadership, team work and self-governance skills, as well as:

  • Develop a sense of personal discipline that can be channeled into other areas of their lives such as academics, extracurricular and social activities.
  • Learn to commit to a cause outside of themselves and strive for excellence.
  • Provide a platform to discuss the “ups and downs” of relationships and gain support while they verbalize emotions.
  • Learn to use energy constructively and provide a powerful way to work through and move beyond pain.

Intentional involvement in sports is one way we can bring health, hope and wholeness to the children we serve in the name of Christ, our mission, values and programs.

Sam Beals is CEO of Samaritas, one of Michigan’s largest faith-based nonprofits.

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