YOUTH 1ST ALLIANCE
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Improve the atmosphere of your league or tournament by hosting a Youth 1st Environment.
We provide Youth 1st Team Awards in every sport and activity.
We provide Youth 1st Team Awards in every sport and activity.
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Minnesota Softball and MYAS launch Youth 1st Alliance
Youth sports can provide us with great learning experiences if we approach them with the proper perspective. Perspective is how we see the world, which then determines our conduct, our actions. We need to help parents and coaches see the youth sports experience as it was meant to be: an extension of the classroom, a piece of the development process.
On October 20, NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff sent a video message entitled: The ongoing national crisis involving a lack of individuals to officiate high school sports. Headlines across the country mention rescheduled or cancelled games due to the shortage of officials. The pandemic heightened a growing problem caused by the abuse of officials. According to the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), 57 percent of officials say that sportsmanship is getting worse, primarily among competitive youth sports, caused by parents (40%), coaches (30%) and fans (19%). We have some work to do! We can do better!
Minnesota Softball, Minnesota Youth Athletic Services, Inc. (MYAS) and Youth 1st are announcing a strategic partnership designed to integrate Youth 1st Environments into leagues, qualifying events and state tournaments offered to community-based youth sports associations.
“Together, we launched a sportsmanship initiative in 2019, implementing Youth 1st Environments across the state. The impact of our joint efforts saw a significant decrease in unsportsmanlike behavior from players, coaches, parents and fans during these youth competitions. In the process, we were able to see how well aligned the mission and goals of our organizations are and felt it was time to formalize our relationship.”, said Mark Arjes, Director of Youth 1st. “We are very excited to help Minnesota Softball and MYAS fulfill and expand their mission to improve the delivery of youth sports services to young athletes, coaches, parents and officials.”
“One of the goals within the MYAS mission is to promote sportsmanship, teamwork and cultural interaction through sporting competition.” said Dawson Blanck, MYAS Executive Director. “The entire MYAS team is thrilled to be able to partner with Youth 1st to help us meet those goals within our programs. As a leader in youth sports throughout the great state of Minnesota, we want to be proactive and impact participants (youth athletes, coaches, parents, and officials) in a positive way through a Youth 1st environment at all our tournaments and events.”
“Youth 1st exemplifies what Minnesota Softball is all about,” said Tom Bye, Director for Minnesota Softball. “The time is right for this partnership which will benefit our entire platform. We need to reward good sportsmanship and reward it through a fine program like Youth 1st.” Bye continued, “We hope this will turn our sport into a positive and fun environment for our kids to excel.”
The Youth 1st Alliance will hold people accountable for their poor behavior via an independent committee supporting community-based associations that uphold Youth 1st standards of conduct and sportsmanship through a process of investigation, review, and accountability that is applied to incident reports filed in youth baseball and softball. Disciplinary actions will be applied through the originating state association.
Imagine 2 teams of 10- or 12-year-old kids playing a game tonight. The cool uniforms, nice playing facilities, great equipment and the kid’s excitement to play with their friends…. One adult (parent, fan, coach) badgers the umpire about a call and one has to ask, how many of the kids playing will want to become an umpire? According to a survey by Officially Human, only 12 percent of officials are under 34 years old.
Now you know why we need a Youth 1st Environment:
• Remember, it’s about the kids!
• Keep your competitive energy in check!
• Always respect officials and opponents
Youth sports done right, by putting our Youth 1st!
Youth sports can provide us with great learning experiences if we approach them with the proper perspective. Perspective is how we see the world, which then determines our conduct, our actions. We need to help parents and coaches see the youth sports experience as it was meant to be: an extension of the classroom, a piece of the development process.
On October 20, NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff sent a video message entitled: The ongoing national crisis involving a lack of individuals to officiate high school sports. Headlines across the country mention rescheduled or cancelled games due to the shortage of officials. The pandemic heightened a growing problem caused by the abuse of officials. According to the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), 57 percent of officials say that sportsmanship is getting worse, primarily among competitive youth sports, caused by parents (40%), coaches (30%) and fans (19%). We have some work to do! We can do better!
Minnesota Softball, Minnesota Youth Athletic Services, Inc. (MYAS) and Youth 1st are announcing a strategic partnership designed to integrate Youth 1st Environments into leagues, qualifying events and state tournaments offered to community-based youth sports associations.
“Together, we launched a sportsmanship initiative in 2019, implementing Youth 1st Environments across the state. The impact of our joint efforts saw a significant decrease in unsportsmanlike behavior from players, coaches, parents and fans during these youth competitions. In the process, we were able to see how well aligned the mission and goals of our organizations are and felt it was time to formalize our relationship.”, said Mark Arjes, Director of Youth 1st. “We are very excited to help Minnesota Softball and MYAS fulfill and expand their mission to improve the delivery of youth sports services to young athletes, coaches, parents and officials.”
“One of the goals within the MYAS mission is to promote sportsmanship, teamwork and cultural interaction through sporting competition.” said Dawson Blanck, MYAS Executive Director. “The entire MYAS team is thrilled to be able to partner with Youth 1st to help us meet those goals within our programs. As a leader in youth sports throughout the great state of Minnesota, we want to be proactive and impact participants (youth athletes, coaches, parents, and officials) in a positive way through a Youth 1st environment at all our tournaments and events.”
“Youth 1st exemplifies what Minnesota Softball is all about,” said Tom Bye, Director for Minnesota Softball. “The time is right for this partnership which will benefit our entire platform. We need to reward good sportsmanship and reward it through a fine program like Youth 1st.” Bye continued, “We hope this will turn our sport into a positive and fun environment for our kids to excel.”
The Youth 1st Alliance will hold people accountable for their poor behavior via an independent committee supporting community-based associations that uphold Youth 1st standards of conduct and sportsmanship through a process of investigation, review, and accountability that is applied to incident reports filed in youth baseball and softball. Disciplinary actions will be applied through the originating state association.
Imagine 2 teams of 10- or 12-year-old kids playing a game tonight. The cool uniforms, nice playing facilities, great equipment and the kid’s excitement to play with their friends…. One adult (parent, fan, coach) badgers the umpire about a call and one has to ask, how many of the kids playing will want to become an umpire? According to a survey by Officially Human, only 12 percent of officials are under 34 years old.
Now you know why we need a Youth 1st Environment:
• Remember, it’s about the kids!
• Keep your competitive energy in check!
• Always respect officials and opponents
Youth sports done right, by putting our Youth 1st!
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Help us put our Youth 1st.
What role should youth sports play?
According to leaders in youth development, youth sports should provide opportunities for exercise, making friends, gaining competence, building confidence, learning about teamwork, taking risks, developing character and self-discipline.
The lasting value of participating in sports comes from helping our young people learn to Become Their Best. All programs should be held to this standard.
Young people should learn to …
Be RESILIENT – Acknowledge that failure will happen, not to fear it, learn from it and get better – move forward, don't quit.
Be RESOURCEFUL – Learn to adapt to changing environments, changing personnel, learn to make adjustments, learn to problem solve and think differently.
Be RESPONSIBLE – Own it, learn to take responsibility for one’s own actions, be accountable.
Be RELIABLE – Do the right thing, all the time. Show up, make the most of your opportunities.
Be RELATIONAL – Take your eyes off yourself, learn to work with and for others, be a giver – not a taker, learn to communicate well.
The VALUE is in each person’s development, not their performance!
What role should youth sports play?
According to leaders in youth development, youth sports should provide opportunities for exercise, making friends, gaining competence, building confidence, learning about teamwork, taking risks, developing character and self-discipline.
The lasting value of participating in sports comes from helping our young people learn to Become Their Best. All programs should be held to this standard.
Young people should learn to …
Be RESILIENT – Acknowledge that failure will happen, not to fear it, learn from it and get better – move forward, don't quit.
Be RESOURCEFUL – Learn to adapt to changing environments, changing personnel, learn to make adjustments, learn to problem solve and think differently.
Be RESPONSIBLE – Own it, learn to take responsibility for one’s own actions, be accountable.
Be RELIABLE – Do the right thing, all the time. Show up, make the most of your opportunities.
Be RELATIONAL – Take your eyes off yourself, learn to work with and for others, be a giver – not a taker, learn to communicate well.
The VALUE is in each person’s development, not their performance!
We Put Youth 1st.
We put Youth 1st by promoting an atmosphere in communities where children have the opportunity to participate in programs that encourage them to be active, build relationships and develop into the best version of themselves.
We put Youth 1st by promoting an atmosphere in communities where children have the opportunity to participate in programs that encourage them to be active, build relationships and develop into the best version of themselves.
We begin with a focus on Conduct. Young people learn what is important by watching adults. The Youth 1st Team Awards program recognizes good sportsmanship and positive conduct from players, coaches, parents and fans. The goal is to model best conduct and encourage positive actions in the competitive environment. At the youth levels, coaches, officials and parents can partner to ensure the kids have a positive experience. We have recognized thousands of youth teams representing over 150 communities in Minnesota, Eastern South Dakota, Northern Iowa and Western Wisconsin for positive conduct and good sportsmanship!
Next, we emphasize Character by promoting a perspective of development vs performance. Development is a process. It takes years for kids to develop not just the physical skills to compete, but the mental, social and emotional aspects as well. Performance can play a role, but it should be viewed as one aspect of the development process.
Hosting Youth 1st Environments during competitions and integrating Character 1st Presentations into preseason kick off meetings with parents and coaches help prioritize the development perspective. The importance of Conduct and Character is celebrated and reinforced through the Youth 1st Team Award ceremonies and partner experiences. Partner experiences are provided through the generous support of the MN Twins, St. Paul Saints, Northwoods League Teams, NSIC Teams, MN Gophers and others. We have developed tools that include videos for parents and coaches and materials for players that include Youth 1st messages.
Hosting Youth 1st Environments during competitions and integrating Character 1st Presentations into preseason kick off meetings with parents and coaches help prioritize the development perspective. The importance of Conduct and Character is celebrated and reinforced through the Youth 1st Team Award ceremonies and partner experiences. Partner experiences are provided through the generous support of the MN Twins, St. Paul Saints, Northwoods League Teams, NSIC Teams, MN Gophers and others. We have developed tools that include videos for parents and coaches and materials for players that include Youth 1st messages.
Once we have established relationships in the Community, we help unify community leadership (facility owners, business leaders, youth leaders) to integrate Conduct and Character standards into all youth activity programs. Changing the culture in a community requires consistent and repetative messaging to parents and leaders. Participation in youth sports and other activity programs offer many physical, social, emotional and cognitive benefits when young people have access and inclusion in quality experiences. Participation matters. Additionally, Youth 1st Community Events encourage partnerships and promote unity between programs, organizations and sponsors.
Thank you for putting your Youth 1st!
Thank you for putting your Youth 1st!
Youth 1st is a Minnesota 501(c)(3) Non-Profit, founded in March of 2010.