Sports Based Youth Development

SBYD is based on the idea that sport programs should be intentionally designed to ensure youth have a positive, not negative, experience. SBYD programs are defined as sports programs with the following features:

  • Physical and psychological safety
  • Appropriate structure
  • Supportive relationships
  • Opportunities to belong
  • Positive social norms
  • Support for efficacy and mattering
  • Opportunities for skill building
  • Opportunities to foster cultural competence
  • Active learning
  • Opportunities for recognition
  • Strength-based focus
  • Ecological and holistic programs
  • Integration of family, school, and community efforts