
CHILD & YOUTH FRIENDLY Organized Sport and Physcial Recreation
These indicators have been compiled with a grading system to help you and your community think through aspects of child and youth friendliness in each domain.
A grading system allows you to recognize that (for most of these indicators) there are many steps between 'not at all child and youth friendly' and 'extremely child and youth friendly'. Your community may fall somewhere in the middle on many of the indicators.
For each indicator, try to grade your community out of 10.
1 being "Not at all child and youth friendly",
5 being "some positive aspects but some changes could be made" and
10 being "We are a leader in child and youth friendly practices".
This is designed to be printed and done communally.
FEATURES OF CHILD AND YOUTH FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES
there are opportunities for all children and youth to participate in team sports
there are opportunities for all children and youth to participate in individual sports
there are opportunities for all children and youth to participate in outdoor recreation
there are opportunities for all children and youth to participate in cooperative games
there are opportunities for all children and youth to participate in experiential learning games such as Play it Fair! or Speaking Rights
there is equal opportunity of participation, regardless of gender
co-ed programs are offered, regardless of age
opportunities encouraging and supporting inclusivity are offered, especially for children with special needs
there is an equal opportunity for all children and youth to participate, regardless of economic barriers
publicly subsidized services are accessible at little to no cost for young people directly
there is a high availability and accessibility of sports which require little equipment (e.g. ultimate (Frisbee) and cross-country running)
programs have processes to accept equipment donations
information is widely available and distributed to encourage children and youth to exercise at home
programs should focus on maintaining a balance between fun and skill development, and competition and cooperation
age-appropriate rules and/or “Fair play” codes address appropriate roles and behaviour of children and youth during play
age-appropriate rules and/or “Fair play” codes address appropriate roles and behaviour of parents and coaches/leaders
opportunities exist for children and youth to meet and interact with professional athletes
coaches/leaders have training on child and youth health issues, including abuse prevention
coaches/leaders have training on child rights
coaches/leaders have training on safety and first aid
coaches/leaders are carefully selected and receive a criminal record check
there are opportunities for older children and youth to play leadership roles and to act as mentors for younger children
mentorship programs are well advertised
mentorship programs are open to all young people
mentorship programs are supported with training for mentors and mentees
there is injury prevention education for children, youth, and parents
the use of safety equipment is promoted
there is a planned responses to accidents and injuries that all parties are aware of
sites are checked regularly to ensure a safe environment for recreation
parents are encouraged to be engaged in sports and recreational activities with their children and youth with community organizations and schools, and at home
a youth advisory board is part of the management structure of recreation services and organizations
children and youth are encouraged to be creative in envisioning new games that are safe appropriate for the group to play
OUR COMMUNITY IS
1- UNFRIENDLY 5- OK 10-A LEADER