little league® International, as part of Susan Crown Exchange’s Million Coaches Challenge and in coordination with Aspen Institute’s Project Play, is delighted to announce the launch of the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program Pilot, an initiative focused on training volunteer coaches on their role in supporting the social and emotional well-being of children.
“Over the past year, we have been proud to work with the Susan Crown Exchange, the Aspen Institute Project Play and the entire cohort participating in the Million Coaches Challenge to provide coaches with these educational resources,” said Nina Johnson- Pitt, Little League. Senior Strategy Officer. “The social, emotional and mental well-being of our participants is of critical importance to us as an organization, and we are delighted to launch this in-depth program to help provide our dedicated volunteer coaches with the guidance, resources and gear they need to provide the best possible experience for little leaguers in their community.
Focused on ensuring children have a positive and comprehensive experience on and off the field, the Little League Diamond Leader Training Program is a FREE educational resource that provides coaches with an understanding of the impact of well- being mental, social and emotional. in youth sports through detailed information, interactive scenarios and a variety of additional resources.
Officially set to begin pilot testing in select Little League programs across the country beginning in June 2022, the Little League Diamond Leader Development Program will be a key resource for local leagues and coaches beginning in June 2022. the 2023 Little League season. More information on the integration of the Little League Diamond Leader Development Program for local leagues will be available after the pilot phase.
“Sports and other organized physical activities are particularly good settings for developing social and emotional skills. We want to provide our coaches with the tools to not only support their players, but also to enhance their own social and emotional development. The Little League program provides an important context in which to intentionally develop these skills. By fostering the development of these social and emotional skills, coaches can also be an important source of feedback, instruction and support for little leaguers,” Johnson-Pitt said. “It is also important to note that while we are starting with coaches, this initiative is not limited to a subset of Little League volunteers. We will strongly encourage all of our volunteers to experience the Little League Diamond Facilitator Training Program and use the tremendous resources provided by the program to enhance the overall experience of our Little Leaguers. It is our hope that as we seek to help train over one million coaches around the world, we can instill millions of Little League Diamond Leaders within our communities through this program.
Through this course, which guides Little League volunteers through real-life scenarios that local leagues around the world face every year, coaches will have a better understanding of the impact they have on their players, both on the field than outside.
As part of Susan Crown Exchange’s Million Coaches Challenge, in coordination with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, the Little League Diamond Leader Development Program is one of many free resources that Little League Baseball and Softball provides its volunteer coaches to ensure its players get the most out of their Little League experience each year.
More information on the program, including details on the program’s global launch for the 2023 season, will be released later this year.
