The Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes initiative is now a curriculum being piloted in Arizona, developed with experts to promote safe development in young athletes.
Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes
Promote the safe physical, emotional, educational and spiritual development of youth athletes.
Prevention Education for Athletes
Promoting the physical and emotional safety of young athletes.
Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes aims to raise awareness about the widespread yet often overlooked issue of athlete abuse. This new module promotes the physical and emotional safety of young athletes by equipping them with the tools needed to recognize, prevent, and seek help from athlete mistreatment.
The athlete curriculum builds on the evidence-based core Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe curriculum that teaches body safety, resistance strategies, connecting with safe adults, and more. This athlete curriculum may be taught on its own and is geared specifically to situations encountered by young athletes.
- 80% of athletes indicate experiencing at least one incident of psychological harm or neglect while participating in youth sports
- 22% of athletes indicate they were intentionally physically harmed during their participation in youth sports
- 14-29% of athletes have been a victim of at least one form of sexual violence before age 18
- Athlete sexual abuse with coaches as the perpetrator account for 0.2-9.7% of cases.
- 47% of athletes entering college have already experienced some form of hazing abuse
Athlete abuse has been an issue at all levels of sport. It takes courage to come forward about abuse, and the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes curriculum helps young athletes and their safe adults to find their voices, connect with resources, and pursue their sports safely.
Contact
For more information and to schedule a Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe for Athletes presentation contact:
Catherine Beach, Relationships Manager
Phone: 480-922-8212
Email: cbeach@childhelp.org
6730 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 150 | Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Connect with the helpful counselors at the Courage First Athlete Helpline.
Live chat at athletehelpline.org or call/text 888-279-1026.
”I just think that the culture of the sport needs to change. It’s been normalized for this long. That’s why a lot of athletes don’t recognize when something bad is happening, because when it’s happening to your teammates or your friends it’s hard to recognize that it isn’t normal.
Aly RaismanOlympic gymnast and abuse survivor
This project is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award (Award #: 90XP0488) totaling $1,000,000 with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.