What are Run the Bases Coaches learning during the Training Camp?
Now that the sun has set on the second day of our December Training Camp we wanted to share more about what our coaches are learning. At the end of the week, coaches will host our annual RTB December Festival where all the children will come together to play in a softball tournament. In the days before the festival our coaches will undertake training in each of the four modules in our program.
Our program is broken down into four modules; education, empowerment, engagement and advocacy all of which work towards developing young people’s life skills and confidence. Read more about each module of our program below.
EDUCATION
Weekly softball and sport sessions teach beneficiaries. Coaches introduce beneficiaries to basic softball skills as well life skills through specific drills and focused conversation which aim to draw out their understanding. Beneficiaries learn what the life skills are and how they can use them on and off of the softball field.
EMPOWERMENT
Now that beneficiaries understand softball and life skills this part of the programme aims to build their confidence in utilising these skills and further their understanding of the game. To achieve this, roles of responsibility are assigned to beneficiaries each session. For example, captain and coach roles.
ENGAGEMENT
The beneficiaries now have confidence in using their life skills on the field, so it is now time for them to get used to using these skills off the field in their everyday lives. To do this, beneficiaries organise a community event of their choice such as a beach clean up or a Streetball festival.
ADVOCACY
In the final 3 months of the program beneficiaries can opt to take a youth coaching course. This entails attending their weekly softball session as well as an extra classroom session. To participate in the course beneficiaries must have an interview with their coach about why they want to take the course and why they think they would be a good RTB youth ambassador. In their classroom sessions young people learn how they can use their life skills to plan and deliver their own RTB session.
all photos by Caylee Hankins
