Empowering Coaching™ for StreetGames Doorstep Sport
A collaboration between Empowering Coaching™ and StreetGames.
Funded by the Coca Cola Foundation, this collaborative project between University of Birmingham and StreetGames explored the impact of developing and implementing a tailored version of the Empowering Coaching™ workshop to develop the skills of Doorstep Sport coaches and volunteers working with young people from disadvantaged communities.
The Empowering Coaching™ training allowed the coaches to more readily promote a more positive and adaptive environment for the young people attending Doorstep Sport sessions, which had a positive impact on the young people’s motivation, engagement and well-being.
Empowering Coaching™
Located within the University of Birmingham, Empowering Coaching™ is an evolving social enterprise with a mission centring on the development, implementation and evaluation of theory- and evidenced-based educational materials/courses (such as the Empowering Coaching™ workshop for coaches) focused on promoting active and healthy lifestyles, skill development/excellence, optimal development and well-being in young people who are engaged in sport, dance and/or other educational and youth development activities. http://www.empoweringcoaching.co.uk
StreetGames
Launched in 2007, StreetGames is the only national charity in Great Britain dedicated to developing sport with disadvantaged communities and making sport accessible to young people regardless of their social and economic circumstances. StreetGames works in communities that fall into the top 20% most deprived areas in England, Wales and Scotland. http://www.streetgames.org/
What were the aims of this research?
- To develop and deliver a customised version of the Empowering Coaching™ workshop specifically tailored for StreetGames coaches/leaders and volunteers working in Doorstep Sport Projects
- For those trained coaches/leaders and volunteers at sample Projects to deliver Doorstep Sport sessions to circa 1,000 young people aged 14-25 years in disadvantaged communities
- To complete an in-depth assessment of the correlates of empowering and disempowering leader behaviours in Doorstep Sport sessions, as well as the impact of the Empowering Coaching™ training, via quantitative and qualitative measures.
- To obtain an evidence base for the importance of more empowering environments for the health, well-being and optimal engagement in sporting activities, for coaches and young people in disadvantaged areas
What were the findings?
The Empowering CoachingTM workshop intervention:
- Increased coaches’ use of empowering strategies
- Decreased coaches’ use of disempowering strategies
- Led to increases in coaches’ understanding of why the empowering approach is beneficial
In the view of the trained coaches, the Empowering CoachingTM workshop and associated changes in their coaching approach had:
- A significant positive impact on participant numbers at the Doorstep Sport sessions
- A significant positive impact on the behaviour, engagement, and motivation of the young people attending the Doorstep Sport sessions
The Empowering CoachingTM workshop gained considerable positive feedback and was deemed to be:
- A necessary and useful part of the training of future StreetGames coaches
- “fun”, “enjoyable”, “practical”, “insightful”, “interactive”, “informative”, ‘well-structured” and “well-presented”
Reports and Promotional Materials
Promotional video
View the 5 minute promotional video for this project
Testimonials
Coaches’ testimonials about the Empowering CoachingTM for Doorstep Sport workshop
People involved