Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Community Counts and Project Coach

By Marquis Taylor, Project Coach Fellow, 2010

Can we develop a community within Project Coach that develops an expectation of achievements and triumphs that make a difference in a formal and informal way both socially and academically.

During our fall semester, we have encountered many challenges that have allowed our Red Shirts and High School coaches to be reflective, responsible, and reliable. We are able to do this by building social capital by employing teachers and administers who are currently working with the school setting to assist the Red Shirts to stay on top of the high school students academics. We are also focused on their coaching ability/skill sets. My main focus is how we can teach our coaches to motivate youth and be dependable role models.

Milbrey W. McLaughlin discusses how youth organizations matter for Youth Development in the article Community Counts. McLaughlin stated, “Community organization can make a powerful, positive difference in youth’s lives.” Community Based Organizations have a unique ability to engage hard to reach youth that feel isolated from the community.

Based on my reading of the article, I am challenging myself and Project Coach to develop standards that will help our high school coaches form their own expectations of achievement and triumphs.

During our fall semester, our team has encountered many challenges that have allowed our Red Shirts and High School coaches to be reflective, responsible, and reliable. We are able to do this by building social capital within the schools. Project Coach is employing teachers and administers who are currently working in the school setting to assist the Red Shirts to stay on top of the high school students academics while also focusing on their coaching ability/skill sets. My main focus is how we can teach our coaches to motivate youth and be dependable role models both by not just talking the talk but walking the walk.

As a result, I can refer back to this while talking to the high school students about finding ways to self-motivate themselves to complete school assignments and community based projects they believe to be pointless or boring. As coaches, the kids are forced to tackle challenges that develop leadership and social skills needed in their community. As high school coaches, the kids are developing a sense of personal worth, and forming ideas of what they may be interested in the future.

Many of the high school coaches have the potential to be 1st generation high school graduates and/or college bound. The impact the coaches are having on the community is magnified 10 fold because they are beginning to break a cycle of mental poverty that leads to economic poverty.

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