Center Activities and Outreach | Springfield College

Center Contributors Publish Book Chapter on Coaching for Positive Youth Development

Springfield College professors Ted France, Al Petitpas, and Judy Van Raalte contributed a chapter to The Psychology of Effective Coaching and Management, titled “Coaching for positive youth development,” published in 2016 (Nova Publishers). The book cover photo shows Springfield College’s own Coach Moira Long meeting with her team.

Center Director Serves as Content Expert for Nike’s Human Capital Model

Al Petitpas was selected as a content expert for Nike’s Human Capital Model, which provides the scholarly foundation for Designed to Move. The Human Capital Model outlines the research evidence supporting the health, emotional, intellectual, social, individual, and financial benefits of physical activity. More information on the model can be found in“Physical activity: An underestimated investment in human capital," Journal of Physical Activity & Health (Bailey, Hillman, Arent, and Petitpas, 2013).

Staff Develop and Lead The First Tee’s Outstanding Participant Summit

Ted France, core contributor, and Al Petitpas, director, were selected to design and lead the The First Tee’s Outstanding Participants Summit in Dallas, Texas. This event brought together 24 youth from across The First Tee’s network of chapters to participate in an interactive training to promote community service and leadership. Former President George W. Bush and golfing legend Annika Sorenstam were among the presenters at this four-day event held in March 2015.

Center to be Content Provider for The Nine Healthy Habits Initiate

The Center for Youth Development and Research was selected to be the sole content provider for the category of “family,” one of the Nine Healthy Habits. This program is a collaborative effort of the Walt Disney Pavilion Florida Hospital for Children, the Annika Foundation, and The First Tee to promote physical, emotional, and social wellbeing in youth across the world. The Center will contribute educational resources related to family interactions on an ongoing basis.

Mentor Training Programs Developed by Center for Two Programs

Through the funding of the Royal Bank of Scotland and The First Tee, the Center for Youth Development and Research has created and conducted a comprehensive mentor training program for various chapters of The First Tee. An adaptive version of these materials was used in 2015 for mentor training for McGill University students who served as mentors for the Montreal Alouettes’ On Point in School program. The mentor training workbook, one of the resources created for this project, has been adapted and used by a number of youth mentoring organizations.

Center Completes National Investigation on Experiences of The First Tee Teenaged Participants and Alumni

Springfield professors Ted France, Liz Mullin, and Al Petitpas completed a study of teenaged participants and alumni of The First Tee organization. This multi-method investigation involved more than 1,000 youth and revealed that participants believed that The First Tee was instrumental in helping them do better in school and in promoting a community service orientation. There also was clear evidence that the quality of the relationships established among The First Tee coaches and participants was strongly correlated with youths’ acquisition of life skills and core values. The report was released in March 2016.

Center Selected for National Research Project

Springfield College professors Albert Petitpas, Ted France and Liz Mullin were selected by The First Tee National Home Office to conduct a national research investigation on how coaches learn to coach for positive youth development through sport. The research investigation was a continuation of their prior work investigating teenage participants’ perspectives on their experiences in a positive youth development through sport program. This project was done in collaboration with Linda Petlichkoff, a nationally recognized expert in coach education, and conducted throughout 2016.

Alumni Lead LACES Program at Needham High School

The Needham (Mass.) High School physical education program has continued to develop and implement the Leaders in Academics, Community Engagement, and Service (LACES) Community-based Youth Development through Sport and Physical Activity program. Led by alumni Denise Domnarski ’13 and Tim Walsh ’94, and in concert with Kathy Pinkham ’81, students worked on strategies to address wellness issues in the high school and presented potential solutions to faculty and administrators to remediate problems.

Alumnae Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame at New Brunswick High School

Springfield College athletic counseling alumnae Laurie (Ben-Ami) Lazovick, G’00, was inducted into the New Brunswick (N.J.) High School Athletic Hall of Fame in June 2016 for her contributions to the direction of the school’s highly successful Play It Smart program. Lazovick is the first non-New Brunswick High School graduate to achieve this honor.

LACES and Play It Smart Continue to Positively Impact Youth

Leaders in Academics, Community Engagement, and Service (LACES) and Play It Smart are programs created at the Center that promote positive youth development.