Sports are a pivotal aspect of American society. They provide reprieve from an often stressful life. They provide a means of educating millions of young children about the values America holds dear. Hard works, discipline, persistence, determination, are many of the values that are incorporated into sports. These values, irrespective of the path chosen by these children, will be used throughout their lives. That is why I believe the sports management field is so important for society. Many successful individuals in the fields of science, entertainment, and business have cited their experiences in sports, as a catalyst for their personal development. By taking this course I hope to become involved in a field that directly impacts society. I would like to be able to immerse myself in the sports management field as I am very passionate about it. I also would like to learn the foundations of the sports management field so that I may add value to a potential employer. My project, I believe, incorporates all of these elements. As a volunteer assistant coach, I am directly impacting the youth within my community. I am also growing as a professional. This passion and experience will ultimately, allow me to add value to my potential employer. My project involves helping young students to develop and maintain positive relationships throughout the course of their lives. In total, I spent roughly 150 hours on this project. Many of the students that are involved in this project come from a relatively low socio-economic status. In many instances, they are from a single parent household, where violence and abuse are rampant. They are often exposed to drugs, either through their peers, or from other third-party sources. They have relatively little money, and their parents have relatively little education. Due to these circumstances, many of these students behave as if they are destined for failure -- a product of an unforgiving environment. My project, and my over aim with working with the community is to provide a channel by which these students can flourish, grow, and transcend their environment. I have dealt with numerous students on this project. I took particular interest, in a college aged young women named Melanie. Melanie, much like the others has had a troubled past, riddled with drug abuse, low self-esteem, and lack of communication skills. I took it upon myself to help facilitate Melanie's personal growth and development.

My community partner was Campbell High School. The students with the high school are varied with respect to socio-economic status, education, and wealth. However, there is a disproportionate amount of students who are underprivileged. As mentioned in my introduction, many of these students come from broken homes, and believe there is no hope for change in their personal lives. I wanted to work with Campbell High School in hopes of eliciting change with these individuals, and the school itself. What better way to accomplish this goal than with sports! As stated in my introduction, sports have a unique way of engaging people from all social classes. It unites individuals towards...

Most importantly, it provides the platform for personal growth and development. That is why, through coaching, social interaction, off the field events, and mentoring, I was going to change the future for many of these underserved children. I believe this will impact the community in a number of ways. First, it provides children with hope of a better future. Through the values instilled on the field I hope to steer children away from crime, drugs, and other unproductive activities. Society benefits as more individuals are contributing the capitalistic society that we all benefit from. In addition, less people will be in jail, ultimately syphoning money away from society. The community will hopefully, have less crime, and more positive influences on the underserved use. With more positive aspects within the community, still more use, will see hope in their future prospects. This compounding effect, I hope, will change the course of the overall community and the children that live within it. I end with a quote that summarizes my ideals for the community: "A butterfly flats its wings in one part of country, and courses a hurricane in another." I would my small effort, to cause a hurricane that destroys many of the shackles embedded with the lives of the lower class youth.
My hands on experience was very compelling and fulfilling. As mentioned in detail above, my role was that of an assistant coach within Campbell High School. My first objective was to insure constructive interaction with all the students in the program. My hands on experience involved allocating time specifically for the needs of the students. For example, on weekends, I dedicated 4 hours each day towards answering student questions and creating logical solutions. This was very important in regards to my mandate of creating an environment of empowerment for the youth. By coming to me, many of these individuals avoided costly mistakes or relying on individuals who lacked the skills or ability to help. I would console students on varying issues such as grades, studying, and avoiding adverse circumstances. My most pertinent hands on experience pertaining to helping student maintain their grades. I often encouraged student groups, and after school study sessions. I also, helped to create a consistent schedule for students, with emphasis placed on studying their weakest course. I learned how important, having a role model is for many of these students. Having just one person, who can consistently help, is a large benefit for many of these students.

In regards to academic enhancement, my skills as a professional have improved dramatically. I believe the principles of success in service are applicable to my overall experience. I also believe Pamela Harris Lawton's experience creating a service-learning project is also relevant in this aspect. The principles for success in service pertain mainly to the three C's of commitment, communication and compatibility. All three of these principles I incorporated in to my work at Campbell High School. For example, I committed myself throughout the week, and on the…