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COMING SOON

Professional Development
For Youth

Designed for 5th–8th graders. Available to all.

What if you could earn certificates in leadership skills —
the same way you practice layups or perfect your swing?

Sport is our classroom. Leadership is what you're learning.

📜 Earn Certificates
🏆 Build Real Skills
⚡ Use in Real Life
💪 Grades 5-8
First Certificate: Spring 2026
Youth athletes celebrating and learning leadership through sport

"When things are hard, start here."

The Certificate Model

Essential Firsts for Youth Leadership

We offer professional development for teachers, coaches, executives — why not for youth?

Each certificate focuses on one core leadership lens. You learn a "first thought" — an anchor you can return to when situations get hard. "First" doesn't mean only or always. It means: When things are hard, start here.

1

Team First

How do I show up for the group?

2

Friend First

How do I treat people, especially when it's hard?

3

Mindset First

How do I talk to myself after mistakes or setbacks?

4

Effort First

What can I control, even when outcomes are uncertain?

More to Come

Each certificate gives you a different lens

Complete one. Complete them all. Choose the lens you need for the moment you're in.

The Pilot

Why the Girls of Upper Arlington Softball?

This Spring: Girls Can Do Anything 💛

Pilot with the girls of UASA

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The Pilot

Girls of UASA will receive the certificate program free, as a Valentine's Day gift

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The Feedback

Their assessment shapes the first three Essential Firsts for Youth Leadership

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The Next Step

Build Leadership Through Sport For Youth for every team that follows

Because the girls are ready. And the best ideas start by listening.

Upper Arlington Softball Association girls

Because these girls have always been honest with me. And this time is no different.

Girls Can Do Anything is my Valentine's gift to the girls who have my heart and have been such a gift to me.

This isn't a finished product being handed to them. It's a draft. A starting point. Their feedback and assessment will help develop the first three certificates as part of the Essential Firsts for Youth Leadership program.

"These girls, their families and I have been building together for almost 10 years... and we know the importance of building together. It's part of who we are."

Read the Full Story
The Contributor Model

Built by Experts Who Believe in Youth

Sarah isn't writing all of this alone. Each certificate comes from someone who is both an expert in their field and believes deeply in the potential of young people.

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The Framework

Leadership Through Sport provides the structure: the learning spine (Belonging → Discovery → Empathy → Choices → Reflection), the platform, and the vision.

This ensures every certificate feels cohesive and grounded in sport — no matter who creates it.

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The Contributors

Subject matter experts — coaches, educators, counselors, mental performance consultants — bring their deep domain knowledge and translate it into youth-centered experiences.

They know their content. We provide the blueprint to make it accessible and meaningful for 5th-8th graders.

Who Might Contribute?

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Coaches

Experts in team dynamics, motivation, and performance

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Mental Performance

Sport psychologists and mindset specialists

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Counselors

Professionals in adolescent development and social-emotional learning

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Educators

Teachers who understand how middle schoolers learn best

Together, we create something our youth can put in play today.

Be the First to Know

Want Updates?

Sign up to hear about Essential Firsts courses, pilot programs, and how your athlete can participate!

We'll only send updates about Leadership Through Sport for Youth.

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