WinWin Project:
Supporting Young Athletes in Their Dual Careers
The project officially launched with an online kickoff meeting in February, where all partners were introduced, objectives were reviewed, and the first work packages were set in motion. In April, NYSA representatives traveled to Riga, Latvia, for the first in-person project meeting, hosted by Andara Plus from Latvia. In this long and fruitful meeting, objectives for the immediate future have been set. It allowed us to network with many different European partners and establish good connections for the future.
Now that the stage is set for the project, NYSA team members are already working on the Work Package 3, which is developing the course material. We are tasked to focus on decision making and its role in a dual-career athlete’s life. As part of this effort, we developed a self-assessment tool titled a “My decision making” self-evaluation form, designed to help student-athletes reflect on their decision-making habits to evaluate themselves and their behavior. The goal of the assessment is allowing them to compare their decision making before and after completing the course, providing opportunities to improve and show how they progressed throughout and gaining an insight into their personal growth and areas for improvement.
As part of the work package that NYSA was tasked to do, is developing the core course materials of decision making. In this material, besides presenting different aspects of decision making, students encounter thought sparkling questions complementing their self-reflection in the decision making self-evaluating form. A key component of the material is how athletes are regularly exposed to decision-making in their sports environment and how these skills can be transferred and applied to their academic lives.