Aspen Institute Mexico creates its own Project Play for kids sports

Dieter Holtz

As a lifetime swimmer, from the starting blocks in Mexico City to the roster of Florida State University men’s swim team, I know firsthand the role sports play in shaping a child’s future — not just academically, but socially, and personally. So, I have spent many years back in my country as a strong advocate for physical activity improvements in the Mexican system.

In November, my colleagues and I presented the Aspen Institute Mexico’s very own “Playbook Mexico.” It’s the culmination of two years of research bringing together kids, parents, trainers, experts in the field, companies, brands, Olympic athletes, NGOs, the academic sector and government officials to identify nine barriers, and their possible solutions, that we face in developing and sustaining youth sport participation. The project was inspired by the framework and methodology of Project Play, which the Sports & Society Program has used to help stakeholders build healthy communities through sports in the US.

The launch event for our report was held at Universidad Anahuac Norte in Mexico City and was made up of a panel of leaders from the Aspen Institute Mexico, the US, contributors from the university’s faculty, as well as past and former Olympic athlete speakers, and a panel of kids. The audience consisted of parents, coaches, education and health professionals, brands such as Nike, media representatives, NGOs, academic experts and government officials.

The interest in our playbook follows the great need for solutions. Mexico, a nation of 126 million with 31.1% of the population below the age of 17, has one of the highest obesity rates in the world. One in three youth, ages 6 to 19, are overweight or obese, and more than half (51%) of the youth between ages 10 and 14 are physically inactive. Sports play a major role in addressing these problems, as the instinct of children is to play – but often in Mexico, they have no place to do so or are discouraged from participating.

We knew we had to identify barriers and develop strategies specific to Mexico, just as the Sports & Society Program developed a framework specific to the structure and culture of youth sports in the US. Below is what we came up with, all mapping to a vision of Mexico, where all children have the opportunity to be active through sports.

Barrier 1: Early discouraging experiences
Strategy 1: Let’s build up a good beginning
By asking kids what they want, and letting them play naturally, we can increase the probability of them staying in sports. Before age 10, if kids have positive experiences in an activity, they are more likely to continue it in the long run.

Barrier 2: Limited options, more of the same
Strategy 2: Motivate them to try new alternatives
We tend to stick to a few mainstream sports, or only those easily accessible, but we can be innovative with the space and tools we have in order to let kids try new things, or even make up a new game. This enhances kids’ abilities, prevents boredom, and allows them pick and choose what they’re good at or like the most.

Barrier 3: Lack of adults as healthy models
Strategy 3: Adults as role models
Often, the problem lies in the households where parents aren’t setting a healthy and active example for their kids. There is a strong correlation between parents that are involved in sports and activities and their kids doing the same.

Barrier 4: Insecure and inaccessible environments for children
Strategy 4: Create adequate public spaces for kids and their characteristics
29 out of 32 entities in Mexico point to lack of security as the main concern. It’s paramount that we have accessible and secure spaces to practice activities, and that the infrastructure is adequate for children (i.e. a basketball hoop scaled to kids’ heights vs. 2 meters tall).

Barrier 5: Deficiencies in educational plans and programs
Strategy 5: Make and design a plan
Mexico’s P.E. programs are quite limited in offering only 50 to 60 minutes a week of physical activity for children. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 should be doing 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Technology is a great avenue to develop apps and online platforms that contain games and activities for kids to play. Also, the education sector can restructure their educational plans to include more P.E. time for the kids during school hours.

Barrier 6: Exclusion and discrimination during sports practice
Strategy 6: The games know no differences
Mexico is among the most diverse countries in the world — with different ways of thinking, interests and cultures, all of which can lead to discrimination and exclusion. Unfortunately, kids with a disability or are part of a minority don’t have the same opportunities in school, sports, and socially. We encourage the implementation of more inclusive programs and teaching kids to be more inclusive. The media and parents play a big role in this change as well.

Barrier 7: Deficiencies in human resources
Strategy 7: Strengthen training programs
Trainers and P.E. teachers should instill self-sufficiency and confidence in children. Emotional support and interpersonal communication from such trainers and role models are key tools for kids to be motivated to participate and continue to be involved in sports over the long run. The development of apps, platforms, and social programs to certify more trainers, as well as the introduction of P.E. teachers in schools, is crucial.

Barrier 8: Deficiencies in the use of media
Strategy 8: Effective use and optimization of media
The support of mass media and new technologies in the diffusion of activities, events, and community opinion in sport is extremely important. The more we generate conversations about the importance of physical activity and a healthy lifestyle, as well as sports campaigns directed to kids and adults to educate them about the benefits, the more we can increase participation and combat the obesity epidemic in Mexico.

Barrier 9: Absence of evaluation, monitoring, and research in Mexico
Strategy 9: Strengthen research for the development of solutions 
We need to create a national evaluation system so that all schools can implement tests that are simple, reliable, and safe to create a control and parameter of advancement in the physical capabilities of children.

To surmount these barriers, it is vital that the key players in our society come together to work symbiotically in service of and for the future of our children. We need engagement from: government, schools, public health organizations, sport associations, businesses, parents, the social sector, the media, and technology organizations.

It is Aspen Mexico´s duty to promote this research and to help permeate these solutions throughout Mexico. In the coming years, we want to develop “local guides,” akin to the community-focused State of Play reports produced in the US, that build on our national report and can help leaders in different areas of the country increase childhood activity levels. Leaders in various cities and states have expressed interest in this goal. We also will work with the Sports & Society Program to adapt and distribute existing resources that may be of use here.

Progress will take time and investment. But we are confident that the work put in by all who contributed to the development of the Aspen Institute Mexico’s work will continue in the coming years, for which I am deeply grateful. This will result in significant changes in the lives of our youth and our society.

Our hope is that everyone who reads or hears about our effort will understand how vital it is that we come together and contribute in whatever capacity we can.

So, please, if you want to believe in the vision we share, reach out if you think you might be able to hop on board and help us implement these solutions.

Dieter Holtz is CEO of Upfield and a board member of The Aspen Institute of Mexico, one of 11 countries where the Institute has affiliates. The project manager for Project Play in Mexico is Tatiana Vertiz, who can be reached at tatianav@aspeninstitutemexico.org. Learn more about how Project Play has begun helping other countries build healthier kids and communities here.

The story was originally posted here.

Where have the neighborhood games gone?

Jim Boyle

Until someone tells me different, I’m currently one of the greatest multi-sport athletes in the world. Just ask me. I’m the Bo Jackson of foursquare and cornhole. Maybe it’s not the most glamorous “sports” ever, but the chances of me pulling a hamstring are extremely low. How’d I get here and how’d I manage to keep my athletic mojo going (I also love to run, swim and play an occasional game of racquet ball) as I push 50? There’s no one reason, but it would be difficult to ignore the joy factor in my sports upbringing.

I grew up in a rural town a few hours north of Detroit on Lake Huron – a town as sports-obsessed as what kids now experience, but not exactly the same either. We played everything, everywhere, at all hours of the day and all times of the year. We played Wiffle ball on the beach in our bare feet with a huge sand dune serving as our “center field wall.” Friends would bum rides to our house for Saturday tackle football. My dad cobbled together enough buddies and resources to pour a ½-court cement basketball slab in our backyard and walked away to leave us to our own devices. To this day it’s like religion to play on that court.

We created bike obstacle courses and raced, and even once built a full-scale putt-putt course with Styrofoam cups buried in the ground for holes. Sure, kids would step away for a Little League baseball game or a pee wee basketball game, but they would always be back in time for a game of 500 (a baseball-centric game, Google it) as the sun went down. It was, admittedly, a privileged existence. Our rules, sometimes our invented games, solving our own conflicts along the way. Magic.

Today, we’ve lost a little of that magic. For a variety of reasons, we’ve seen youth sports go largely from kid-driven free play to more parent-driven costly play, which has led to led to less access and less participation across the board – rural, urban and suburban. Only 14 percent of kids in Western New York and Southeast Michigan combined (the markets the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation serve) are physically active to the level recommended by the Center for Disease Control. That’s even less than the already abysmal national average of 27 percent.

And it matters. Research shows that physically active kids are more likely to be physically active adults. They’ll have greater cognitive function, better mental health, better educational outcomes, and fewer health problems. And we lose as a society when kids aren’t active, through billions of dollars of related downstream healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Today, we’ve lost a little of that magic.

At the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, we’re looking to increase the number of physically active kids. There’s no silver bullet, but we have a pretty good idea of what “good” looks like in youth sports thanks to our partners at the Aspen Institute and their Project Play framing. We also have an amazing local infrastructure in Western New York and Southeast Michigan – thanks in large part to the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, and the working groups they’ve helped us form – poised to, collectively, continue helping us make change.

There are already amazing things happening in Western New York and Southeast Michigan to address these issues, and the Foundation has invested over $50 million to date to both lift up, and add to, that work. Everything from building the physical infrastructure for free play, like our Built to Play partnership with KaBOOM! and the Tony Hawk Foundation to build innovative play spaces and skateparks; to programmatic grants; to the contribution of data and research like the regional State of Play reports we launched in 2017, and beyond are included.

In partnership with the German Marshall Fund, the Foundation is also taking a cross-sector group of thinkers and influencers – grassroots sports practitioners, professional sports team representatives, municipal park managers and planners, and more – on a week-long study tour to Ruhr Valley in Germany and Barcelona, Spain. There, we’ll be looking at several things, including how those parts of the world successfully leverage sports and active recreation to achieve healthier and inclusive public spaces; innovative examples of sports governance and cross-sector partnerships; and integrated approaches to urban planning, placemaking and infrastructure to support sports and recreation for all ages.

The mission? Lift our heads up enough from our own work to learn and be inspired by others. Build relationships and connect with each other, while we see what cross-sector collaboration looks like somewhere else. See innovation happening outside of our own markets to get kids out, moving their bodies and having fun.

Basically, we’re taking a deep breath from our own important work to find some other ways on how we might get our magic back. We can’t wait to bring our findings back to our communities. And can you bet if any one of our travel partners happens to jump on a Futsal court along the way, I got next.

Jim Boyle is Vice President for Programs and Communications at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. He oversees grant making in the foundation’s focus areas of: Youth Sports & Recreation (including the Project Play Western New York and Project Play Southeast Michigan partnerships); Park, Trails & Green Design; and Nonprofit Support & Innovation. The Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program will hold the 2019 Project Play Summit in Detroit on September 17-18, in part to share lessons learned from its community-based work in Michigan and New York with the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.

Story was originally published here.

Changing the game for girls

Caitlin Morris

February 6 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day – the perfect moment to celebrate the women who are inspiring girls to get in the game. Now in its 33rd year, this day celebrates the power that sports can play in a girl’s life. This year’s theme, “Lead Her Forward,” is also an urgent call to action to get more girls active. Just over one-third of girls ages 6-11 meet healthy physical activity guidelines; that number only declines as they grow up. We need to change that trajectory.

Play is serious.

Physical activity is a key part of living a healthy and successful life. We know that active kids do better in every way, and all kids are made to play. Kids who move are more confident, they excel in school and they carry these benefits into their adult lives. But four in five kids aren’t getting the amount of physical activity they should — and girls are the most likely to be sitting on the sidelines.

“Girls” are not a single, homogenous group by any means; getting and keeping them involved in sport and play is a complex issue. But as the Aspen Institute and other leaders in this field know, there are actions we can take now to make progress.

Girls need strong rile models and female coaches.

It starts with seeing and celebrating female athletes. Girls are inspired by sports stars like Serena Williams, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Alex Morgan. We must continue to celebrate these women for their achievements – both on and off the court – because they show our girls what’s possible.

Four in give kids aren’t getting enough physical activity — and girls are the most likely to be sitting on the sidelines.

At the same time, girls also need female coaches who can directly connect with them, understand their experience and encourage them to persevere. Yet only 23 percent of youth coaches in the US are female. That number is the lowest on record since 2012, and it’s down from 28 percent in 2016. Title IX was an important milestone for pushing gender equality in sport, but 46 years later, we’re missing a key piece of the fight if we aren’t loudly and deliberately inviting women to the playing field.

When women are given the tools and resources they need , they step up to the plate.

That’s why so many of us across the public and private sector have taken action through initiatives like Nike’s Made to Play and the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. Committing to shattering the “glass sideline” and growing the number of female coaches takes new thinking and new strategies.

“How to Coach Kids,” a free online course that teaches volunteers the skills they need to effectively coach young athletes, is one way we can invite more women to participate as coaches. The course shows how coaching is a learnable skill, and a rewarding experience. It also reinforces messages and techniques taught at the beginning of the season, so coaches have a “pocket coach” to lean on whenever they need it. “She Can Coach,” a campaign led by Up2Us Sports, is another powerful example. This incredible campaign is training and placing female coaches in under-resourced communities, and it doesn’t stop there. After placing female coaches with teams, “She Can Coach” continues to support them by providing career mentoring and guidance on coaching techniques.

How girls are coached matters even more than who coaches.

There is surprisingly little curriculum focused on how to coach girls. Debating how much of the difference is intrinsic versus extrinsic social norming is a debate for another time, but many who’ve worked to coach girls report that the experience is different. Positively engaging girls in sport and play is the goal of every coach, regardless of gender. So, it’s important to pay attention to the data coming from organizations like the Women’s Sports Foundation that assess the state of gender-inclusive coaching curriculum and gather the research we need to inform smart program investments.

In addition to making sure girls have greater access to coaches and mentors, we also need to empower girls with sports programming that puts them at the center of the experience.

This work is already underway through programs like Mamba League, a youth basketball league led by Kobe Bryant in partnership with Nike and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles. Aiming to help girls, and all kids, develop confidence both on and off the court, Mamba League’s programming gives youth players new basketball skills as well as life skills like passion, optimism, fearlessness, focus and honesty.

As more girls jump into sport, we need to support them with the gear they need to play with confidence.

By age 14, girls start dropping out of sport at twice the rate of boys. When we listen to them, we can understand why: 41 percent of girls ages 11 to 16 report that low body confidence or fear of judgement hinders them from participating in sport. These feelings tend to grow during puberty, and as a result, the problem gets worse. Having the right gear can make a difference.

Whether it’s a hijab, team jerseys, footwear, or their first sports bra, it’s important that girls have the gear they need so they can play with confidence. We’ve seen progress on this front – there are more products on the market that speak directly to the needs of girls – but we must do more to identify and remove barriers in the way of girls getting and staying active.

Helping girls reach their potential on and off the playing field takes all of us.

Diverse leaders across business, philanthropy, civil society and government are taking on this challenge. We’re making progress, but this generation of girls still needs more.

We can change the statistics.

Each of us can help girls reach their potential on and off the playing field. Decide to “Lead Her Forward” and create opportunities for the girls in your life and in your communities.

A girl’s future depends on it.

Caitlin Morris is the General Manager of Global Community Impact at Nike, where she focuses on getting kids active and reversing the physically inactive epidemic. Nike is a founding member of Project Play 2020, an initiative of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, which is a multiyear effort by leading organizations to grow national sport participation rates and related metrics among youth. Learn more about Project Play at www.ProjectPlay.us.

Story was originally published here.