The LiFEsports Initiative Service Learning Course: A University-Community Partnership

The Learning in Fitness and Education through Sport (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State aims to enhance youth development, social skills, and physical well-being through sport. The initiative works to create and maintain unique partnerships within Columbus to improve sports-based youth development (SB-PYD) programs. LiFEsports serves 900 youth each year through programming such as a summer camp, and strategic community partnerships to implement before- and after-school programs. One partnership example is the LiFEsports service learning course, a pilot implementation model in a neighboring Columbus school district. The LiFEsports service learning course involves multiple partners such as LiFEsports, the school district, and the YMCA. The collaboration among LiFEsports, the YMCA, and a local school district, allows for multiple levels of learning and serving through SB-PYD. In the model, social work interns and the district social worker oversee the implementation of a service learning course at the high school level. Throughout the year, high school service learners develop leadership skills, learn about SB-PYD, increase community engagement, and serve as co-facilitators of LiFEsports curricula in elementary before-school programs. Service learning, a form of experiential learning, improves academic motivation, develops stronger social skills, and promotes stronger community involvement (Conway, Amel, & Gerwein, 2009). Moreover, academic motivation and school connectedness are strong predictors of academic achievement (Chase, Hilliard, Geldhof, Warren, & Lerner, 2014) and protective factors against high school dropout. Although programming occurs in school settings, the program also aims to positively influence the surrounding community. As such, the service learners complete a culminating event at the end of the year where they present their work to the community through the Healthy Kids Day (HKD) hosted at the YMCA. Here, high school youth practice presentation and leadership skills as they lead activities and present their work to HKD participants. Sustaining the successful implementation of the program involves sharing of resources and responsibilities for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders. The intended audience of the poster are current leaders in the community and the university who seek to enhance the well-being and resiliency of at-risk youth in the community, or who want to better understand the intricacies of a complex collaboration among three stakeholders, including students, professors, community members, or directors at community-based organizations. After engaging with the poster, the audience will understand an overview of the partnership, mutual benefits of the program for the high school service learners and elementary school participants, and for all key stakeholders, and how existing resources can work to positively influence youth of various ages and the surrounding community.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Erica Magier, doctoral student, Ohio State College of Social Work, magier.2@buckeyemail.osu.edu (Corresponding Author); Tasha Henderson, gradaute student, Ohio State College of Social Work; Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian, director of operations for the LiFEsports Initiative, Ohio State College of Social Work; Dawn Anderson-Butcher, professor, Ohio State College of Social WorkThe Learning in Fitness and Education through Sport (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State has partnered with a local school district and YMCA to create a high school service learning course. Alongside YMCA site leaders, high school students implement sports-based positive youth development (SB-PYD) curricula created by the LiFEsports Initiative at the before-school program at two local elementary schools. Through this model, youth of varying ages are able to benefit from SB-PYD through growth in leadership, sport skills, and social skills such as self-control, effort, teamwork, and social responsibility (SETS). The poster will outline the unique partnership created and how it works to foster health and wellness and create resilient youth in the Columbus community