Project SCORE (Sport COnnect and REspect) was developed in October 2010. The 4 C’s framework (confidence, connection, competence, and character) is used as a platform to teach positive development through sport. Project SCORE has developed into a key resource for coaches, athletes, and parents. The goal is to support the growth of youth through sport and life through deliberate delivery in sport programs and helping parents support these lessons outside of sport. On this site, you will find a ‘Coaches Locker Room’ with information and activities for coaches related to the growth of the 4 C’s. There are also very easy ‘SCORE Plays’ that coaches can use and integrate into practices. The site also features a ‘Parent Lounge’. This lounge provides parents with ideas of how to support the development of the 4 C’s and reinforce lessons learned in sport.
Read more below about the researchers involved in this project!
Dr. Leisha Strachan, a first generation Black Canadian, is a professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba. She completed her doctoral degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario (advisors: Dr. Jean Cote and Dr. Janice Deakin). Her line of research focuses on integrating positive youth development research into coaching and parent practices in sport and examining those experiences for children and youth at recreational or elite levels. An avid coach, Dr. Strachan is also involved in community organizations in Winnipeg working to teach positive skills and enable positive experiences for young people.
Dr. Dany MacDonald is an associate professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at the University of Prince Edward Island. He completed his undergraduate degree in the Department of Psychology at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec. He then completed his Masters and Doctorate degrees in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. His research interests are in positive youth development through sport. More specifically, he is interested in understanding which characteristics of youth sport programs are most effective in fostering positive personal development. He is also interested in understanding overall athlete development through issues related to coaching, and the development of measurement instruments.
Dr. Fernando Santos is a lecturer at both the Polytechnic Institute of Porto and Viana do Castelo in Portugal, and teaches the coach education courses for the Portuguese Hockey and Rowing Federations. He is also a member and coordinator of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Education (inED) and collaborates with the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth in the area of youth development. His main areas of research interest include coaching and positive youth development, specifically understanding youth sport as a context for positive youth development. His work places particular emphasis on how coaches learn to foster positive youth development and coach education may contribute to increased athletes' positive youth development outcomes.
Dr. Jean Côté’s research interests focus on the developmental and psychosocial factors that affect sport and physical activity performance and participation. He is interested in the complex interaction of children, parents and coaches in the development of talent and in the achievement of personal excellence. The purpose of his research is to identify variables and behaviors within family, performers and coaches that create favorable conditions for excellence and participation in sports. This program of research uses various qualitative and quantitative methodologies including unstructured and structured interviews, observation, video-task analysis, and questionnaires.
