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June 17, 2022
Little League International, a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania (PA) in the US, is piloting a ‘Little League Diamond Leader Training Program’ to educate volunteer coaches on their role in supporting the social and emotional well-being of children.
Founded in 1939 in Williamsport, PA Little League Baseball and Softball is the “first and world’s largest organized youth sports program” with millions of players in more than 80 countries. The league is split into three levels with the first being a Local Little League organized within a community. The second is District level for administrative and tournament purposes only, including 10 to 20 leagues in the same district or area, and the third level is Regional and International HQs, inclusive of all staff and employees. With a mission to build stronger individuals and communities, the league believes in the power of youth baseball and softball to teach and instill important life lessons.
Over the past year, Little League has been working alongside Susan Crown Exchange’s (SCE) Million Coaches Challenge (launched last year to train one million coaches in youth development techniques by 2025) and the Aspen Institute’s Project Play to provide coaches with educational resources from the new program. Focused on ensuring that children have a positive and well-rounded experience on and off the field, it provides a free educational resource inclusive of detailed information and interactive scenarios. The resources provide coaches with an understanding of the impact that mental, social and emotional well-being has in youth sports.
Pilot testing began this month across select Little League programs around the US. The program will be a key resource for local leagues and coaches starting with the 2023 Little League season. While the pilot will start with coaches, the initiative is not limited to one subset of Little League volunteers. Nina Johnson-Pitt, Little League Senior Strategy Executive, strongly encourages all Little League volunteers to experience the new program and utilize the resources it provides.
“Sports and other organized physical activities are settings particularly conducive to social and emotional skill development. We want to provide our coaches with the tools necessary to not only support their players but also enhance their own social and emotional development. The Little League program represents an important context in which to intentionally build these skills. In fostering the development of these social and emotional skills, coaches can also be an important source of feedback, instruction and support for Little Leaguers,” she said.
Through this course, which navigates Little League volunteers through real-life scenarios that are being faced in local leagues all around the world each year, coaches will have a better understanding of the impact they have on their players, during play and in life. More information about the program and details on the global launch of the program for the 2023 season will be made later this year.
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