Overview
LASF is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2005 to
provide social justice oriented educational programs for coaches and
youth athletes.
We believe that youth athletes should have a place where they can learn the fundamentals of sport while being respected as persons, not just players. Our programs are guided by the core values of mutual respect, clear and developmentally appropriate expectations, effective communication and advancing intellectual and ethical development.
Our mission is to empower youth to achieve significance in life through success in sports.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Steve Venables has over thirteen years experience with basketball camps as a director, guest speaker, coach, and clinician. He worked in those capacities for many high-level college programs, including UCLA, University of Utah, and Gonzaga University. As a certified coaching trainer for the Amateur Athletic Foundation, Positive Coaching Alliance and the founder and owner of Coach V Basketball and Training, Steve has held camps and clinics for over one thousand youths and coaches throughout the greater Los Angeles area. As a player, Steve played semi-pro basketball in Europe, and followed his playing career with coaching positions at Occidental College, Westmont College, and Citrus College. As founder and Executive Director of the Los Angeles Sports Foundation, he designs and delivers programs that promote healthy athletic, social, and academic development through team sports.
MISSION STATEMENT & CORE VALUES
The mission of LASF is to empower youth to achieve significance in life through success in sports.
Mutual Respect
In order for individuals to work effectively together, they need to be able to recognize the worthiness of each other as persons, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of others without blame, and perform reflective self-assessments. Mutual respect is the foundation of a physically and emotionally safe environment; it provides the social context for physical, social and ethical development. Understanding and demonstrating mutual respect are both essential for social competence, which all students need to be successful.
Effective Communication
Effective speaking, listening, reading, writing, and body language skills for the purposes of greater understanding provide youth with access to opportunities for advancement, growth, and development. Effective communication depends not only on the communicator but also on the receiver of the communication. An effective communicator takes into account the readiness of the receiver, including attention to his or her physical, emotional, and developmental needs.
Clear and Developmentally Appropriate Expectations
Setting and clearly communicating expectations appropriate to the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the other brings out the best in both coaches and players. By communicating clear expectations, individuals are respected and more able to participate in the activity. Thoughtfully constructed expectations lead to higher performance by everyone. Importantly, everyone’s expectations need to be assessed and shared to achieve a common understanding of each individual’s expectations.
Advancing Intellectual and Ethical Development
Many everyday problems in school, social gatherings, and on the court are complex. Helping children and adults to identify conflicts and problem-solve for solutions helps them to develop both their thinking and their character. It is important to engage each other in problem solving by, for example, taking more information into consideration, gaining a more sophisticated understanding of the information, predicting the consequences of one’s actions, and constructing alternate solutions. Importantly, learning to take the perspective of another not only helps individuals solve problems, it also helps them develop a profound sense of respect for the experience of another.
COMMUNITY YOUTH COACHING SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Los Angeles Sports Foundation Coaching Support Program provides coaches of community youth basketball leagues with the opportunity to work individually or in a small group setting with an experienced support coach. These collaborations help coaches to learn new ways to effectively teach the fundamentals of youth basketball through the use of developmentally appropriate drills and proven organizational strategies.
Practice Meeting | The youth coach schedules a time to meet with the support coach thirty minutes prior to their scheduled team practice. During this time, the coaches formulate objectives, draft a sample practice plan, and determine measurable goals for the practice. The youth coach can opt for the support coach to instruct the practice, or the support coach can observe and take notes on the structure and teaching points of the practice. After the practice, the support coach and youth coach meet for thirty minutes to review the practice, how it may be improved upon, and identify future goals for both the players and the coach. |
Follow Up Support | The follow up component to the Coaching Support Program allows the youth coach to contact the support coach by phone or email with further questions about the material covered in the joint practice for the remainder of their season. |
Program Rates | The Community Youth Coaching Support Program rate is based on a ten-week youth basketball league format comprised of twenty coaches during which each coach is able to schedule at least one joint practice visit and receive follow up support by email or phone. Contact LASF for more information or to schedule a program. |
TESTIMONIALS
“[The workshop presenter] has a unique outlook on sports that has to do with engaging the mind of the athlete as well as his body. I think [LASF] is onto some powerful ideas, and I for one am learning a ton.”
– 6th Grade Boys Basketball Coach
“[The workshop presenter] used our conversation to tailor the clinic to address the most direct and beneficial coaching methods for our staff. For 4 hours, [the workshop presenter] was energized, responsive and proactive in meeting STAR’s coaching needs.”
– Dr. Jill Moniz, Director of S.T.A.R. Educational Programs
“[The workshop presenter] teaches in a manner that everyone will absorb, regardless of learning style. He does not just lecture. He explains, demonstrates and then makes you do it, just like we are taught to do with our kids. This can be a real eye-opener. This valuable lesson has made me not only a more empathetic coach, but a better parent as well.”
– 6th grade Boy’s Basketball Coach
PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
LA Sports Foundation coaching workshops are made possible through funding by the LA84 Foundation (LA84).
Mission: Life Ready Through Sport
The LA84 Foundation is endowed with surplus funds from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Our mission is to serve youth through sport and to increase knowledge of sport and its impact on people's lives. The LA84 Foundation supports a wide array of youth sports programming. We award grants to youth sports organizations within the eight southernmost counties of California. We also conduct our own youth sports and coaching education programs, a number of which have become models for similar programs nationwide.
The LA84 Foundation operates the largest sports research library in North America, the Paul Ziffren Sports Resource Center. It is a state-of-the-art research facility and learning center dedicated to the advancement of sports knowledge and scholarship. The Foundation also maintains a sizable collection of historic sport art and artifacts much of which was inherited from the former Helms sports halls of fame.
The LA84 Foundation is a private nonprofit institution. The Foundation has committed more than $160 million to accomplish its mission since 1985. To date, two million boys and girls, and more than 1,000 youth sports organizations throughout Southern California have benefited from the endowment. They will be joined by many more in the years ahead.
Contact the LA84 Foundation
2141 W. Adams Blvd. Main phone: 323-730-4600, Library - 4646
Los Angeles, CA 90018 Home page: www.la84foundation.org
Visit the LA84 Foundation
If you are approaching LA84 westbound on the 10 Freeway, exit at Western Avenue. Turn south (left) onto Western and drive two blocks to Adams Blvd. Turn west (right) onto Adams. LA84 is two blocks west at 2141 W. Adams Blvd
If you are driving eastbound on the 10 Freeway, exit at Arlington Avenue. Turn south (right) onto Arlington and drive three blocks to Adams Blvd. Turn east (left) on Adams and proceed two blocks. LA84 is at the northeast corner of Adams and Gramercy at 2141 W. Adams Blvd. Adams Blvd.
To Contact
steve@lasportsfoundation.org
www.lasportsfoundation.org
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