By Sport Nova Scotia Communications
This past August the Sport Leadership Development Credit was made available to high school students across Nova Scotia, and so far, more than 200 participants have signed up.
To earn this new credit, students need to complete 50-85+ hours of coaching and/or officiating, plus sport specific coaching and officials training along with several online learning courses that cover topics like safe sport, coaching athletes with a disability, mental health in sport and anti-racism practices.
“It’s about their personal development,” says Mike Hudson, Sport and Recreation Lead; Communities, Sport and Recreation Division; Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. “It’s just invaluable experience for them as a person. There’s interaction with coaches and athletes, and all the benefits that come from taking on these leadership positions.”
Unlike academic credits, personal development credits are self-directed and are completed outside of the public school system, though delivered by an approved provider. Students can earn personal development credits in three areas: arts, languages and leadership, and these credits can count toward one of the five elective credits students need to graduate.
“We recognized that we need to get more youth involved in coaching and officiating. And this lack of youth participation is a gap in the system that this program can help support,” says Mike.
Students can sign up for this program once they start Grade 10 and have until the end of Grade 12 to complete all of the requirements. One student who has already earned the new credit is Bay View High School senior Lily Hopper.
Lily signed up for the Sport Leadership Personal Development Credit because she thought it would be fun, and a really good opportunity for her. Of the required learning courses, she says the Mental Health in Sport course has really stuck with her. The idea that coaches need to be mindful of their own mental health, for themselves and their athletes, has stayed with her since completing the course.
Lily says she has been coaching rhythmic gymnastics for as long as she can remember but really committed about four years ago when she started to dive into the actual learning of how to be a coach and the pathways to become certified.
“My favorite thing about coaching is probably getting to see the face of your athlete and the success they feel when they get to learn something new, and the success I feel when they get to have that feeling,” says Lily. “I’d recommend coaching because it’s such an amazing opportunity. Everyone should get the chance to be a coach.”
The Sport Leadership Personal Development Credit was created by the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage in partnership with Sport Nova Scotia and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Those interested in participating or have questions about the program can contact Mike Hudson at mike.hudson@novascotia.ca.
