Unlock your leadership potential and strengthen your brand with TU4C’s partnership with Northeastern University’s Sport in Society Division!
For nearly four decades, Sport in Society has been developing and implementing training and education to create strong leaders and strong brands. Now, you can get access to the same resources and knowledge with our online activity.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to take your leadership and brand to the next level.
At the end of the activity, you will be rewarded with a TU4C Athlete Club Certificate and Badge, which you can proudly display and share with your friends and family!
The following exercises we have placed in this online activity will get you, the athlete, to start thinking about your own views on community service, serve as an introduction to the topic of community service and athletics and allow you to share your perspective(s) without judgment.
Lets begin!
Our Goals with this section are to help raise your awareness about WHY it is important to use your influence as an athlete to create positive change in your community. Together we can create an environment around athletes and community service that is exciting and inspiring to get involved with!
Please evaluate the statement above and choose whether you agree with the statement, disagree with the statement or are unsure.
Please enter your answer in the text box below.
"Yes, Anyway we can serve our community to make it better is beneficial to everyone."
Bryan - Hockey - Vermont
"Most definitely, it makes you more aware of the community you live in and lets you offer your set skills to help out and assist others - makes you a more rounded person."
Shar - Tennis - Vancouver
"Yes, It makes you feel good about yourself and inspires others around you to do the same."
Todd - Football - Florida
"Yes. Makes an overall athlete on and off the ice."
Deidre - Hockey - Boston
"Yes. I feel it is necessary to give back to the people that help make society function the way it does. It is appropriate to make sure people throughout the community know that you care and would like to help. As well as it makes you feel good inside."
Mikalya - Soccer - Ontario
"Yes, it offers me a way to give back to the less fortunate and to those who are not able to play organized sports."
Sydney - Soccer - Ontario
"Yes, I've always felt like I strive to be the best athlete, but doing community service allows me to be the best person I can."
James - Football - Wisconsin
"Community service allows us to see the world in a new light."
Tyler - Runner - Massachusetts
"Community service brings me so much happiness and purpose. I love serving others and knowing that I have contributed, even just a little, to making someone else’s life a little better."
Amanda - Basketball - California
"Yes. We can have a significant impact in our communities."
Jake - Basketball - Louisiana
"Yes. It is my way of saying thank you. I am passionate about giving back to the community because of the support me and my team received from the community at our tennis matches."
Robin - Tennis - Oregon
"Yes. Seeing the difference that I can make in someone’s life makes me truly grateful for every opportunity I have been given."
Alex - Lacrosse - New York
"Yes. It provides a valuable experience and allows us to grow personally."
Tom - Football - Ohio
"YES. I will not soon forget the smiles and laughter of the young kids we spent time with during our community service project. We take the time to show kids they matter."
"Absolutely we lead by example."
"Yes. People look up to us and we should do the right thing. Be ourselves and make people smile."
Carlyle - Football - Oregon
"It is my belief that we can all make a difference in this world and that together, we can accomplish anything."
Chelsea - Tennis - Delaware
"Yes as student athletes a lot of kids look up to us."
Wes - Soccer - Florida
"Yes. Kids really look up to us When we do things like community service (reading to them) it gets them excited and sometimes star - struck."
Stephanie - Basketball - Connecticut
"Yes, they show you what you can achieve, if you work hard."
Megan - Volleyball - Ontario
"Yes, because they have a profound impact on the young athlete inspiring to be like us."
Bryan - Hockey - Boston
"Absolutely yes! They can show the world that hard work and dedication pays off...they have achieved a goal and that acts as an inspiration to youth..."
Beth - Karate - Toronto
"For the most part they are - they give back of their time and funds to help and assist in creating services - hockey camps, lax camps - they show that education is a must, and show that manners are essential. Most are well rounded individuals and will do their best to assist in causes to their heart/soul and for the kids/communities."
Jimmy - Golf - New York
"Yes, Athletes are always looked up to especially by younger children."
Jake - Sailing - Connecticut
"Yes, they can mold kids into believing anything is possible when you work hard."
Jewel - Lax - Georgia
"Yes, kids look up to how we act and relate to the community."
Ben - Hockey - New Hampshire
"Yes, it shows that if you commit to something and work hard the opportunities of achievements and success are limitless."
"It is important for us to give back to the community in return for the experience we get to have here at school as student-athletes."
Marco - Soccer - Arkansas
"Doing community service is important because it makes us realize how blessed we are and that we can make a difference in this world."
Alex – Lacrosse - New York
"Yes. We are responsible for helping to take care of our community because everyone deserves to have a beautiful place to live."
Delaney - Swimming - Florida
"I believe community service offers us a good way as a team to plan things together. My teammates and I helped create a new program to help young kids learn to be healthy and I hope it is something we can pass on."
Andrea - Field Hockey - Massachusetts
"Yes we have been blessed with so much its our responsibility to give back to others."
"I believe it is a choice and not an obligation. If a team demands participation as part of a contract then they should. Otherwise just like everyone else they should do what is in their heart."
David - Hockey - Ontario
"Not an obligation, but a priority."
"Yes...everyone is obligated to give back to their community. Athletes that depend upon their fan base have a unique obligation to give back to those who support their careers."
John - Golf, Tennis, Hockey - New York
"No it should be their choice to but I couldn’t see why they wouldn’t want to."
Bryan - Hockey - Montreal
"I suppose no one is obligated to give back but why wouldn't an athlete want to share the knowledge they acquired to help others..."
Tara - Dance - Calgary
"No, no one is obligated however if they feel there success has come from support from their community than yes."
Teresa - Softball - Colorado
"Yes, because at some point someone influenced them and their community supported them through their minor career.""
Sarah - Cheerleading - Alabama
"Yes, we should always look back at the opportunity our community, whether it be friends or family as well, to thank and support."
Dave - Lax - California
"Yes, makes community stronger."
Chris - Football - North Carolina
"I think athletes are obligated to give back to the community because there are people that help give everything for you to play your sport and it is only right for you to show your appreciation."
Please watch the video above before continuing to the next activity!
With this activity we want to provide the leadership context for the way Team Up 4 Community approaches community service. The interactive nature of the exercise also sends a clear message that you the participants will be actively engaged in your learning during this certification course.
Many of the issues we are talking about will require your leadership in dealing with them.
Please read and review the statments below and click on the one that you agree with the most.
"A leaders is someone who influences, shape and change the world in positive ways.."- Tyler Runner Massachusetts
"Striving for success for not only yourself but others around you."- Sam Baseball Tennessee
"Someone who makes everything and everyone around them better and encourages, enables and empowers them to give their very best in trying to succeed."- Erin Golf Arizona
Please read and review the statements below and click on the one that you agree with the most.
"Leadership plays a big role in sports. I'm active as a leader in my hometown and at school."- Jake Basketball Louisiana
"The relationship between being an athlete and being involved in community service has a lot to do with leadership."- Tom Soccer Georgia
"Keeps everyone focused on achieving a common goal while representing themselves, their team, and organization accordingly. Most Championship teams will have an abundance of leaders with a common focus. mindset, goal, and voice."- Jacob Football Texas
"Leadership is important while doing community service because you are leading people to show their appreciation to the people in the community. You are also developing more leaders that will then go and do community service on their own."- Andy Football Ohio
"Communities service cannot exist in a vacuum...leaders must take charge of a given problem and rally resources to address the needs of the community."- Katie Soccer Florida
"Community service is about letting people know that helping others is a good and right thing to do."- Davis Baseball Georgia
By now you are half way through and we hope the wheels in your brain have begun to get in motion about community service and being an athlete. Having you reflect on your own athletic careers, you can develop an understanding about the significant role sports has played in your lives and that as an athlete you have a responsibility to give back to others and your community.
"Sports teaches us team work, competition, and sportsmanship all of which are important in future life. I also believe it helps us find a place to fit in and develop friendships."
Brian - Wrestling - Oregon
"It helps us build relationships, learn about teamwork, community building and decision making."
Tom - Soccer- Georgia
"Sports teaches us about overcoming adversity, sportsmanship, opportunity, gratitude, and friendship."
"Deep friendships. Good health, a sense of purpose and achievement, win or lose."
Jason - Baseball - Virginia
"Health, fitness, and everlasting friendships."
Susan - Rowing - South Carolina
"Health, positive attitude, self-esteem."
Zack - Baseball - Virginia
"Understanding commitment, focus, discipline, hard work but most importantly teamwork."
Lexi - Volleyball - Indiana
"Meeting new people, and developing a bond with them."
David - Lacrosse - North Carolina
"Health benefits, making friends learning dedication , learning to deal with up and downs of sports positively."
Parker - Baseball - Tennessee
"The opportunity to meet new people with the same interests and possibly the same goals as me. Also knowing that with the talent I have it can take me places like university or the women’s national team. As well as I am doing the sport I love while being physical active and fit."
Jessica - Tennis - Arkansas
"Learning how to work with others and achieve a mutual goal, dealing with success and failure and developing social skills."
Mike - Hockey - Manitoba
Please choose from the options below.
Only 2 more sections left to go!
This next activity is a little different as it uses professional athletes and their inspirational quotes about giving back to help highlight the importance of community service. You will be asked to read and analyze what athlete’s quote resonates the most with you. Our goal is to help you – the athlete see the impact that athletes have in our society does transcend sports!
"Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we're here."- Andre Agassi Tennis
"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."- Michael Jordan (6 X NBA Champion and 5 X NBA League MVP)
"Once I leave this earth, I know I’ve done something that will continue to help others."- Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Track and Field Athlete, won three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the Olympics)
"Giving back to the community is an opportunity for us to interact with our fans and show our gratitude for their support. It's something we are really excited about."
"With a community that supports our team and lets us do what we love, it was the least we could do to give back to them."
Jamie - Field Hockey - New York
"My enthusiasm for being involved in the community can be contagious and empower others to get involved."
Alex - Soccer - Utah
"We can make an impact through the experience of working and living in impoverished communities and realizing the impact and power of sharing your time and energy with like-minded people."
Tyler – Massachusetts - Track
"People look up to athletes and by seeing athletes perform community service you can help others get involved."
Andrew - Basketball - Nevada
"Aspire to be a role model for others."
CC - Softball - Tennessee
"Be an example."
Ali - Soccer - Ontario
"Taking a lead in community service and others following."
Scott - Tennis - New Mexico
"I can assist all the younger athletes wanting to develop their skills. As well as I can be a role model to other athletes to help contribute to their community."
Derek - Lacrosse - Florida
"Getting more kids involved with sports, keeping them off the street and out of trouble."
Tori - Soccer - Utah
Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve."
Athletes have status in our society and with that status comes responsibility. Whether we like the responsibility or not athletes have an obligation to give back to their community.
Almost done! This last exercise your are about to go through was something that we discussed when you first started this online certification. We placed it at the beginning and the end of the training to gauge your views about athlete volunteerism and if your views have changed after taking part in this activity.
After the training, we aim that you will walk away with a better understanding about the importance of athlete leadership and community service.
Thank you for taking part in this leadership activity and for taking the first step in making a difference! ~ See you at the end.
"Yes, they can mold kids into believing anything in possible when you work hard."
"Yes, because at some point someone influenced them. And Their community supported them thru their minor career."
Time's up
