READ RECAP: Player advice for coaches on mental health: “Don’t talk at me, talk to me”
PROJECT PLAY REPORTS: Why the time is now to coach mental health in youth sports
Events of the past few months have brought high anxiety, grief and trauma for kids and families. As we return to play, what actions can we take to ensure that life skills and mental health are central to kids’ sports experiences? What role can adults play in shaping these experiences?
Project Play hosted a conversation about how sports can be a tool to support mental health and social and emotional well-being.
SPEAKERS
CHRIS MOORE
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
POSITIVE COACHING ALLIANCE
Chris Moore is the CEO of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), a leading voice for the countless character-building benefits and opportunities made available to kids through sports. A veteran of the industry, Chris has driven considerable growth at both nonprofit and corporate organizations over the past 25 years.
Before joining PCA in October 2019, Chris served as CEO of US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sports organization in the country with 55 local state associations and more than 6,000 clubs and leagues. Prior to US Youth Soccer, Moore was president and chief operating officer of GENYOUTH, where he facilitated the organization's growth from a start-up to a high-performing, youth empowerment organization dedicated to creating healthier kids, schools and communities nationwide. While at GENYOUTH, Moore convened leaders in the public and private sectors, media, schools, health professional organizations and the National Football League, to collaborate on a nationwide platform to improve the health of our nation’s youth. He also led GENYOUTH’s partnership with former First Lady Michelle Obama to promote Fuel Up to Play 60, in conjunction with her signature "Let’s Move" program to reduce the incidence of obesity in the U.S. Moore graduated from Lake Forest College and received his MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
REBEKAH ROULIER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
DOC WAYNE YOUTH SERVICES
Rebekah joined Doc Wayne in August 2011 as the organization’s COO. In addition to being responsible for day to day operations, Rebekah is responsible for creating and maintaining strategic partnerships with our collaborators. She is also responsible for curriculum enhancement and management of program evaluation efforts. Rebekah earned her B.A. in History, Ed.M, and CAGS in Counseling with a Sub Concentration in Sport Psychology from Boston University. She is also a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). During her time at B.U., Rebekah was a member of the track & field team and was a goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team. She is an alum of the Massachusetts’ Council of Human Service Providers Leadership Initiative (2014), Boston University’s Questrom School of Business’ Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership (2015), and the MetroWest Health Foundation’s Health Leadership program (2016). In 2018, Rebekah received the prestigious “Mayor Martin J. Walsh Youth Advocate Award” as recognition for her unwavering dedication to the city’s youth.
DONALD CURTIS
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SOUL (STUDENT-ATHLETES ORGANIZED TO UNDERSTAND LEADERSHIP)
Donald Curtis was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Palmer Park, Maryland. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga and a M.A. in Strategic Communication from American University. He completed his Executive Education in Innovation Management at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is completing a Nonprofit Management program via Northwestern University and the Allstate Foundation. In 2019, he was selected by Ashoka and American Express as an Emerging Innovator in 2019.
Donald has always had a passion for youth development and has worked to empower youth in various capacities from mental health institutions and foster care to coaching and teaching.
KEYSHAWN HUNTER
H.D. WOODSON HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER
COMMITTED TO OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
Keyshawn Hunter is a Washington, D.C. native and upcoming graduate of H.D. Woodson High School. A two-time All-DCIAA and one-time All-State player at defensive tackle, Keyshawn is committed to play football in the fall at Old Dominion University. Keyshawn is a member of Donald Curtis’s SOUL Men’s Group.
FACILITATOR
RANYA BAUTISTA
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE
ASPEN INSTITUTE SPORTS & SOCIETY PROGRAM
Ranya manages Project Play’s portfolio of community work, including Project Play’s current State of Play efforts, Teamwork Toolkit virtual platform, social emotional development efforts and forthcoming technical assistance strategy. Ranya joined the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program in 2017 to lead Project Play's model community effort in Harlem, NY, a collective impact approach to grow access to and participation in quality youth sport opportunities in East Harlem. Ranya authored the State of Play Harlem report, a comprehensive analysis of how the health needs of youth are being met through sport in the community.
Prior to her role with the Aspen Institute, Ranya worked in direct services, developing athletic curricula and coaching youth ages 6-12 in Baltimore, MD, and working as a Family Services Coordinator in New York, NY. She holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park and a M.S.Ed in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania.