This is a brief overview of a program to help with your sports teams and developing their character and showing them positives ways to live life. The Game Changers program is a groups meetings to discuss being "Men" and being "Dads". You could also use this with women sports. This is how you build Champions. A ball will not teach character, the coach can use the vehicle of sports to help their players with the foundations to make good choices the rest of their lives.

1. CHARACTER BUILDING PROGRAM
Winning Academically, Socially and Athletically
We will havetwo main avenues that we teach specific character traits along with the normal
day to day teachings that come along with commitment to excellence in athletics.
1. CHARACTER TRAITS. Wewill have character ed. built into our everyday practices and
workouts. Wewill use the 36 character trait words to discuss with the student athletes
each day. We will usually spend 5-10 minutes discussing the words and whattheir true
definition and meanings. For example; attitude. It’s a proven fact that attitude is 90% of
your success and you have 100% controlof your attitude. We will use this trough out
the day and throughoutthe week we will reflect back on it as the situations arise for us
to us this word. Other examples of character trait words weuse are respectfulness,
selflessness, commitment, dedication, honesty, honor, etc.
2. GAMECHANGERS. (TheUncommon Man) Our purposewith this programis to help
develop those character traits in young men that well help them be successful in every
aspect of their lives and become an uncommon man of today. This is an opportunity for
the players to express themselves and for adults to develop a trusting relationship with
young men. We want to help guide them through the pitfalls of teenage life that exist
today. We invite all the boy athletes and their dads. We also invite community people,
administrators, clergy and anybody wishing to get involved and help mentor these
young men. The following is a brief overview.
I. Mentoring programfor all athletes
II. Meetings every two weeks, usually on Mondays
III. Inviteall boy athletes and their dads. We will invite and ask for help from
community members, businessmen, and preachers to serveas mentors and
huddle leaders.
IV. Game changers agenda,
6:00 pm – Game Changers and boys meet at Civic Center downtown, eat pizza
6:20 pm – Watch shortvideo (topic this week “what is a real man”)
6:40 pm – break up into huddle groups, 1 GameChanger will volunteer to lead the
group. All other Game Changers break up evenly into the huddles.
7:15 pm – Closure, discuss pledgefor upcoming week, example, Game Changers
and athletes will pledge to” be men of their word”. When we break into our
huddles next meeting, the firstitem discussed is how they did with their pledge.

2. I have seen a dramatic impact with this programon kids and adults. We do the same with the
girls. I have seen someamazing relationships developed through this programand I have seen
adults and teenagers lives impacted. This is a year around program and wehave had as many
as 130 athletes attend this programalong with 60 dads, and mentors.
The following is the agenda for our first meeting and a letter that is sent out through email
to solicit mentorsfor the second meeting.
Game Changers and Uncommon Men ---- Meeting #1
1. Rules for being a Mentor andHuddle Leader
2. Phone Numbers withservices provided
3. Meet with the adult men while the athletes goeat
a. Discuss stories of kids inour program, student whodo not have a male role model
and all kids needan extraear to listentothem, another voice tobe positive with
them.
b. Discuss the needtostandin the gap for missing dads
Grades, social behavior, nobody checks on them, who gets themup, tochurch, who
teaches themproper behavior of a man? Something as simple as shaking hands
c. Discuss what kids today identify withManhood?
Money, Athletic ability, Sex, whotells themhowtobe a man, whena man is not
present, usually moves andmusic
4. Bring the young men in – explainUncommon Man and 1 in 100
5. Watch Movie “Courageous”
6. Hand out Pledge for the week, set time for next meeting.
Dear, THEGAME CHANGERS
We are getting together dads, athletes and anybody thatwantsto help mentor young men in
our athletic program. Thisgroup iscalled “The Game Changers”. Our young men existin a very
tough game today with many obstacles and pitfalls. They have pornography, sex, violence,
drugs, and many other determentsattheir fingertips. They are exposed to behavior thatis not
becoming of a young man. Thisbehavior is most times viewed as normaland “manly”. We
have young men in our program who do not have dadsliving with them and many do not have
contactwith a positive male role model. Our young men need the opportunity to talk to and
hear the values, skills, and character traitsit takes to be successfulin life. This program gives
them the opportunity to talk aboutwhatthey deal with, see and do on a day to day basis with
an adult and their peers. W+3620e allknow there is a lack of male guidance in our society
today. You may be a greatrole modelfor your son or daughter but every day he or she spends

3. 8-10 hoursa day with friends, teammates and classmates who have not been shown the
correctway to make decisions. If we wantto make a difference in our kidstoday come join us
and let’s talk aboutwhatit is to be an uncommon man, a man that makesgood choices, a man
that treats woman appropriately, a man whose word ishis bond, a man who values his friends,
a man of honor, a man thatcan admit mistakes, an uncommon man. The agenda isattached.
The following page is informationgivento the Huddle group leaders.
Huddle Group Leaders
1. Ask how each of the kids did with last week’s pledge to be men of their word.
2. Match men with the kids, all men in the group can be partnered with all boys in the
Group
3. Hand out phonelist to men and let the boys know that the men will be checking on
them
4. Hand out worksheetfor the week.
5. Hand out everyonefill out the sheet and keep it.
6. Discuss theanswers with your Huddle Group.
7. Read and hand out the Pledge of the Week.
Make surethat everyoneknows:
1. What is said in the huddle stays in the huddle.
2. Make sureeveryoneknows they do not have to speak if they do not wantto.
3. This is a safeplace and we want everyoneto be comfortable.