The Value of Sports in the Life of a Child
Posted By Jacquie Parella On February 22, 2013 @ 12:40 am In Employees and Culture | 3 Comments
I’ve never been an athlete. In fact, far from it. Attending P.E. class was always somewhat painful and at times, a little embarrassing.
I’m a great sports fan though. For me, college basketball is something to look forward to — GO CATS! (Arizona Wildcats that is — sorry Kentucky fans.) Whether I am cheering for my team or for the current March Madness underdog, I can’t wait for March to come around.
As a non-athlete, I have come to really appreciate the value of sports and what they teach the children in our programs.
Sports teach them about unity and trust [3], about how to express themselves more freely [4] and how to discover their gifts and talents [5].
More specifically sports have shown Erick [6] that he is a valuable part of a community that loves him.
For Emilda [7], sports helped replace teasing and cruel words with cheers and Olympic medals.
And baseball [8] has given these young men in the Dominican Republic an opportunity to bond with otherwise absent fathers.
Whether it’s a game of soccer, running or playing baseball, the value of sports in the life of a child is not just about the sport, it’s about teamwork, community and the possibility of achievement.
What did sports teach you as a child?
Read these related posts:
Article printed from Poverty >> Compassion International: http://blog.compassion.com
URL to article: http://blog.compassion.com/the-value-of-sports-in-the-life-of-a-child/
URLs in this post:
[1] subscribe to our blog: http://feeds.feedburner.com/CompassionBlogPosts
[2] Jacquie Parella: https://plus.google.com/109824451530454700090
[3] unity and trust: http://blog.compassion.com/soccer-tournament-building-unity-and-trust-through-soccer/
[4] express themselves more freely: http://blog.compassion.com/philippine-sports-be-a-winner-for-god/
[5] discover their gifts and talents: http://blog.compassion.com/sports-and-self-esteem/
[6] Erick: http://blog.compassion.com/dont-hide-special-needs-children-from-the-world/
[7] Emilda: http://www.compassion.com/magazine/emilda-video.htm
[8] baseball: http://blog.compassion.com/tag/batey-baseball/
[9] United by Baseball, United Through Christ: http://blog.compassion.com/united-by-baseball-united-through-christ/
[10] Missions in Action: Episode Three: http://blog.compassion.com/missions-in-action-episode-three/
[11] Anticipating the Launch of Batey Baseball: http://blog.compassion.com/pujols-family-foundation-anticipating-the-launch-of-batey-baseball/
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