“Coaching for Character” Workshops Begin with over 50 Enrollees Worldwide

The “Coaching for Character” Professional Development Workshops presented by the UF Institute for Coaching Excellence are beginning to gather steam, both domestically and internationally, as the importance of the long-term impact that a sport coach can have on the development and well-being of athletes of all ages is ever apparent.

“We need more sport coaches committed to growing as character educators, as they [coaches] have a captive audience of young student-athletes to teach and empower” remarks 25-year youth coach and Professor of Practice with UF’s Institute for Coaching Excellence, Pete Paciorek.

“All coaches have a responsibility to foster and model character,” says Dr. Arthur Schwartz, president of Character.org. “And not just grit or resilience. Coaches also need to reinforce the character strengths of honesty, gratitude, and service to others.”

The two most recent “Coaching for Character” Workshops are being provided for over 50 youth coaches in Belleville, IL and Manila, Philippines, with more to come in the coming months with additional schools globally, as well as Boys & Girls Clubs and Special Olympics coaches in Florida and California, respectively. These professional development workshops are firmly rooted in empirical data around what works best in character education and the application and relevance to sport coaching.

Danny Moran, President of PAREF Schools in the Philippines, affirms that “good coaches who are properly developed in character formation are the best mentors for our kids today!” Moran and PAREF are committed to continuing their relationships with the Institute for Coaching Excellence in our ongoing workshop series online.

The Institute for Coaching Excellence is committed to high-performance athletic development; coach and athlete well-being; leadership and character development; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and social and emotional learning (SEL) through sport.

If you have a school, league, or youth sport group interested in coach training around character development and well-being, please contact our expert practitioner and lead workshop facilitator, Pete Paciorek, or if you would like to support one of these workshops across the globe.

Click here to find out more about the new workshops (both virtually and in-person) focused on coaching training program offerings through the Institute of Coaching Excellence.