To all recreational and competitive Peewee, Bantam and Midget minor hockey coaches:
The Groups for Youth Development (G4YD) lab would like to extend an invitation to you and your coaching staff to participate in a study by researchers at Nipissing University, Southern Cross University (Australia), and the University of Wollongong (Australia).
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a brief (1 hr) mental health literacy workshop for competitive youth hockey coaches. The workshop is designed to help you understand mental health issues in adolescents, recognize the signs and symptoms of such problems, and learn the skills and strategies to manage mental health issues in your athletes.
The workshop is an innovative part of ‘Ahead of the Game’, a sports-based mental health program funded by the Movember Foundation developed in Australia that is being brought to Canada.
Participants will be asked to read and complete a consent form before the start of the workshop. Participants will also be asked to complete a questionnaire which would be completed anonymously.
Those coaches who attend will get a $40 Tim Horton's gift card as a sign of appreciation.
"You will leave with new information on mental health, how to detect warning signs of mental health problems in your athletes, and some general tips on how to begin a conversation about mental health with athletes and parents on your team," stated the release.
Particpants will take part in a one-hour workshop that will involve videos, reflection, and discussion. They will also participate in a focus group interview to provide feedback on the workshop.
The study will take place on two dates:
- Monday, February 4th at 7 p.m. at the Robert Surtees Athletics Center (RSAC, Room 202) at Nipissing University (up to 15 coaches)
- Tuesday, February 5th at 7 p.m. at the Robert Surtees Athletics Center (RSAC, Room 202) at Nipissing University (up to 15 coaches)
To sign up for trhe study please RSVP by emailing Jordan Sutcliffe ([email protected]) with the number of coaches who will be attending from your team and your preferred date.
