BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – A pair of national programs to educate young athletes about healthy relationships are being introduced in Brown County.
Brown County Judge Tom Walsh discovered the “Coaching Boys into Men” program while at a national conference. Now, he is working to bring it into local high schools.
Walsh says the goal is to “bring awareness to issues of teen dating violence and ultimately adult domestic violence, respect for women, and healthy relationships.”
The curriculum, provided by Golden House, provides coaches with a specific lesson each week. Coaches within the program are expected to spend just 15 minutes a week addressing the topic with their athletes. The partnership with Golden House does provide training for coaches.
Walsh says “you want good coaches that will be able to deliver the message. You need all of your coaches to be able to deliver the message. If all they’re doing is teaching young people the X’s and O’s, we’re missing a huge opportunity.”
The “Athletes as Leaders” companion program also teaches girls how to handle these kinds of situations. Walsh says it’s too common seeing women pull out of pressing charges against their spouse.
“Women need to understand that when they’re in these bad relationships, they need to have enough self-confidence and enough willpower to get out of them. And to understand that it’s not acceptable to be treated that way. That’s part of the role of ‘Athletes as Leaders’,” says Walsh.
The programs track data to determine whether the curriculum is actually working. While Walsh says it’s too difficult to figure out if it actively prevented an issue, a change in mindset is a good way to measure effectiveness.
Walsh says “primary data is going to come from the athletes. They’ll get surveyed in the beginning of the year, they’ll get surveyed in the middle of the year, and at the end of the year. And the goal is to change attitudes. If you can change attitudes, you’re having success.”
Teams at East and West De Pere High Schools are participating in the initial pilot program, but Walsh hopes other schools will soon join in.
Walsh says “I’m hoping that by spring, we’ll assess and decide that we can expand it exponentially next year.”
