Our vision is to see cultural norms around sports change in Grant County through the commitment of sports programs to create fun, safe and respectful environments in which parents/fans act as encourages, coaches serve as supportive role models, and players have absolute fun while learning lessons of respect on/off the field along the way. The Code of Conduct was developed from the #TeachEarly playbook created by the Futures Without Violence organization.
You can access Hands of Hope’s conduct codes for athletes, coaches and fans at these links:
Players >https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Br8Xvfd4hCYWw0WVhPcmFNenM/view
Parents >https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Br8Xvfd4hCZ0ZwMEdQOWdrUEk/view?usp=sharing
Coaches> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Br8Xvfd4hCQll4cDQ4eXN0VE0/view?usp=sharing
All coaches, parents and athletes participating in Ole Miss Youth Sports are required to sign the Code of Conduct as well as watch a video that was created for the program. We expect through this initiative that we will not only see an increase in respectful behaviors during official sporting events, but that players will receive the benefits of protective factors as well as life-long lessons around character development and respect . As an additional parent and coach resource, Bill Severns highlights the importance letting kids have fun while they learn important lessons through sports through his blog and book, Keepers of the Sandlot.
For more information about the program, please contact Lauren Severns, Hands of Hope DELTA FOCUS Coordinator by email at: lseverns@famservices.com or by phone at:765-662-9971 ext. 143.
For clients, the vision is to see an increase in personal empowerment and self-efficacy. And we anticipate these feelings will create a ripple effect where individuals served by the agency adopt more nurturing behaviors with the people they are closest to. An anticipated outcome is to see a “power with” rather than a “power over” model where individuals served do not feel the need to exert power over others to compensate for their perceived lack of power.
As the pilot organizations, Family Service Society Inc. and the Marion Public Library partnered with a local college, Taylor University, to have students conduct interviews with staff and clients. The interviews highlighted key questions around empowerment and social inclusion within the agency. Staff were asked questions such as, “What is your role in the life of our clients?” and “In what ways are you similar or different from your clients?” Clients were asked questions about their relationships with staff and how the physical space of the Agency made them feel. Once interviews had been completed, staff began to meet and discuss results to use the strengths as a tool for affirmation and the recommendations as a tool for culture change. The staff at Family Service Society, Inc. also did a Strengths Based Practice Inventory survey to further identify ways in which they can promote safe, stable and nurturing practices in their everyday work.
As a result of the pilot assessment, several other local organizations agreed to participate in this initiative to identify practices that will help promote protective factors in the community. These organizations include Bridges to Health, Salvation Army, St. Martin’s Community Center, and VIA Credit Union. These organizations have begun holding staff conversations to consider practice changes and trainings around creating a more socially inclusive environment for both clients and staff. Changes have ranged from updating waiting room materials and decorations to adopting the organizational practice of conducting SSNRE trainings for all new employees and volunteers.
As the organizational assessment continues, we hope to see all Grant County agencies become more rooted in a strengths-based practice approach and to see more safe, stable and nurturing practices modeled across the community. Everyone can do small things (Lollipop Moments as we call them) to make, often unknowingly, big differences in someone’s life. These assessments and changes can be easily replicated in your local Agency or community to continue creating a culture in which practicing nurturing behaviors becomes the norm in our society.
For more information about the program, please contact Lauren Severns, Hands of Hope DELTA FOCUS Coordinator by email at: lseverns@famservices.com or by phone at: 765-662-9971 ext. 143.
Hands of Hope
Hands of Hope
Youth League Code of Conduct
What are things within your community that bring people together? For Grant County, Indiana, it is undeniably, sports! Sports are often used as a great way to teach youth lessons on the field as well as off the field. Yet time and again, most people have witnessed disrespectful behavior coming from parents, coaches and athletes alike. In order to address this, Hands of Hope, a division of Family Service Society, Inc. partnered with Ole Miss Youth Sports in Gas City, Indiana, to develop a Code of Conduct for players, parents and coaches.
Hands of Hope—Organizational Empowerment
At Family Service Society, Inc., staff is committed to creating safe, stable and nurturing relationships and environments for clients. To further this, the Agency agreed to participate in an organizational assessment to identify strengths as well as things that the agency could do to increase social inclusion and to reduce power differentials between clients and staff.