Youth participation in sports yields benefits that reach far beyond success on the field or court, and students that take part in team competition have opportunities for growth and development that extend to their everyday lives.
Principles learned through sport—self-control, effort, teamwork and social responsibility — will be highlighted during the LiFEsports summer sports camp that begins, Wednesday, July 5, at Clark State College, 570 E. Leffel Lane, Springfield.
Local students in grades six through nine will learn about those important life skills and more through a range of sports and team-building activities over the course of the day camp, which continues through July 28.
Hosting the program locally is a collaboration of the Clark County Combined Health District, Springfield Promise Neighborhood, Springfield City School District and the Springfield Mental Health and Recovery Board.
LiFEsports is an extra-curricular program developed by Ohio State University that teaches positive youth development in a sports-based environment.
Participants receive lunch each day of the camp, as well as free Ohio State University gear. Campers will also have the chance to play sports including basketball, football and soccer.
Counselors and coaches will teach the fundamentals of each sport, emphasizing traits such as cooperation and self-control that produce not only better teammates, but better students and citizens, too.
LiFEsports curriculum is rooted in the idea that sports are a strong influence in students and can be used to instill cooperative social skills that students will carry with them through adulthood. Program organizers point to over a decade’s worth of research that consistently shows team sports can be a critical facilitator of positive social growth in youth.
The Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports initiative works to bolster social and athletic skills among its participants and has previously earned an Excellence in Summer Learning award from the National Summer Learning Association.