Return to flip book view

TABLE OF CONTENTS About USC MHS P 2 Program Purpose P 2 Program Benefits P 4 Program Description P 3 PROGRAM HANDBOOK Who We re Looking For P 6 FAQ P 8

ABOUT THE U S CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH SPORT The U S Center for Mental Health Sport is a national nonprofit organization with the mission of bringing optimum mental health to sport communities The organization s vision is to leverage the strengths of sport communities to ensure that thriving mental health is promoted and accessible to all individuals involved in any capacity and to educate and inspire those communities to utilize strategies that allow for the prevention and early intervention of mental health challenges One of the USC MHS core education programs reaching athletes coaches administrators parents officials and others involved in sport is our ACT Mental Health Awareness Certification We believe the Athlete Mental Health Ambassador program will be another highly impactful way to bring increased mental health awareness to sport communities across the country ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAM PURPOSE The goal of Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors is to give athletes a voice in finding ways to better support mental health throughout the sport community to raise awareness about mental health and to assist in development initiatives that allow for the broader reach of mental health activations and training ATHLETES CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BY CONTRIBUTING SOLUTIONS TO THE NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND THE PREVENTION OF SUICIDE P 2

WE VE HEARD YOU At the USC MHS we know that many sport organizations are recognizing the need for increased mental health awareness enhanced support for mental health challenges and expanded opportunities to experience thriving mental health while participating in sport The efforts of sport organizations to implement mental health initiatives are much needed and huge steps in the right direction to further encourage wellbeing in addition to the development of sport specific skills Many sport organizations are leaning on their administrators coaches and other adults to lead the change However we ve repeatedly heard athletes say that they too want a voice in supporting mental health and determining impactful strategies for improving mental health status among youth and young adult athletes After all you have grown up in a world that is different from that experienced by most of the adults in your sport organization at similar ages You have incredible opportunity and power to make a difference in the lives of your peers by providing increased opportunities for thriving mental health through sport AT USC MHS WE RECOGNIZE AND BELIEVE IN YOUR POTENTIAL AS LEADERS IN THE MENTAL HEALTH SPACE AND WE WANT YOU ON OUR TEAM AS WE WORK TOGETHER TO BE THE DIFFERENCE P 3

BENEFITS OF USC MHS ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS PROGRAM Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors have a lot to gain by participating in this initiative The program will provide Athlete Ambassadors with opportunities to learn more about mental health and how they can BE the DIFFERENCE Participants will receive the ACT Mental Health Awareness Certification and have the chance to interact with elite athletes talking about and supporting mental health along with mental health professionals who are also passionate about sport This program is a fantastic resume builder for any future professional path BENEFITS INCLUDE Receive ACT Mental Health Awareness Certification Gain experience as an advocate and leader within your sport program s Meet other athletes professionals passionate about mental health Become connected with the work of USCMHS and its team members Gain insight into professional roles in mental health sport Professional development programming experience Receive Athlete Mental Health Ambassador merchandise Receive a mental health handbook with strategies and assets for athletes parents coaches and other sport organization members Have an opportunity to attend our inperson Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors Workshop P 4

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors program brings athletes opportunities to proactively support mental health within their sport communities while connecting with other athletes across the country who are also passionate about bringing increased mental wellbeing to sport The program will typically involve virtual meetings for 1 3 hours per month that inform you about mental health and assist in shaping some of the initiatives that you will implement in your own sport community Each month will also involve taking action steps to support mental health within your sport community While this is a developing program and we will be seeking your input as we determine best action steps to make your efforts as meaningful as possible to your sport community we do know we would like you to be involved in promoting mental health awareness in a variety of ways First and foremost we would like you to be a role model in what it means to support mental health We will ask you to be respectful of everyone in your sport community at all times and to act as a friend and resource when someone from that community needs a listening ear or information about where they may turn when struggling We would like you to utilize social media to provide positive mental health messaging to your sport community We look forward to having you speak with your local sport organization s leaders in representing athlete voices regarding mental health And we will urge you to become involved with fundraising activities that allow for more lives to be saved and mental health programming to benefit more athletes like you If any of this makes you nervous don t worry USC MHS will guide you through each initiative P 5

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS You are a current athlete You are 15 24 years old You are passionate about bringing opportunities for improved mental health to your sport community You are a leader and role model for other athletes You are willing to commit 1 3 hours to virtual meetings per month in addition to other involvement requests You are willing to follow the guidance of USC MHS when bringing mental health initiatives to your own sport community You would like to engage others in positive conversations about mental health through social media posts We will request that Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors post on a social media channel preferably Instagram at least 1 time per week The U S Center for Mental Health Sport must be tagged in all posts and or re posts relating to affiliated with us The handles for tagging are Instagram mentalhealthandsport Facebook mentalhealthandsport LinkedIn mentalhealthandsport Twitter MHandSport You are interested in having occasional correspondence with USC MHS interns and or employees to help create promotional material such as interviews You would like to be involved with increasing support and fundraising for meaningful mental health initiatives You will represent yourself and the USC MHS in a positive manner within your sport community You will conduct yourself in a professional and appropriate manner in the Athlete Ambassador group chat You will come up with at least one fundraising event idea for the USC MHS that you may be able to organize at a local level This can be something like a charity game tournament hosting table times at your school etc P 6

2023 ATHLETE MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS PROGRAM INAUGURATION Help us make history Those selected as USC MHS Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors in 2023 will help us launch this program You will illuminate the path for future Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors to follow and set the standard for how together we can BE the DIFFERENCE If you are motivated to be proactive in mental health and sport and want to lead the way in providing athletes a voice in mental health support apply today PROGRAM UPDATES For additional program information program application and any updates please keep checking back to https mentalhealthandsport org athlete ambassadors P 7

FAQ What is the time commitment The USC MHS is all about mental health and sport As an organization seeking to continually support athletes we completely understand that your practices and competitions may lead to very full schedules Therefore most of the initiatives we ask you to become involved with outside of our 1 3 hours of monthly virtual meeting time will be fairly minimal in time commitment and can certainly be done on a flexible schedule at a time that works for you We will ask that you assist with at least one larger fundraising initiative at some point during the year so that we can continue reaching your peer athletes with additional life saving programs However you will have some autonomy in deciding when to carry this out so you are not adding to your plate at the height of your season When will the meetings be throughout the year What if I can t make all of them The dates of the virtual meetings are to be determined based on what is best for the majority of participants after applicants have been accepted into the program USC MHS understands that it is unlikely that all Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors will be able to make every meeting However it is an expectation of this program that you do your best to be in attendance whenever possible If you do miss a meeting it is asked that you check in with the USC MHS Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors leadership team to ensure you are filled in on any pertinent information When will the program begin Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors will have its first meeting held virtually in May 2023 After applying watch your email for a message containing our decision regarding acceptance into the program and if accepted more information about the date and time of the first meeting Why do I need to apply The application process is to ensure that USC MHS Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors are individuals that can be relied on to assist in fulfilling its mission and vision along with meeting the goals of the Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors program We do not have a set number of individuals we will accept we sincerely believe that the more ambassadors we have the better the program will be We also believe that diversity among our Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors will only serve to make the program stronger and encourage all interested individuals to apply However it is also vital that all ambassadors have strong ethics are able to act as leaders within their sport communities and are passionate about growing mental health awareness and support Therefore we ask for applications so we can better understand your potential to be a leader in mental health and sport in your community P 8

CONTACT Any questions about the U S Center for Mental Health Sport or the Mental Health Athlete Ambassadors program Please reach out to admin mentalhealthandsport org As Athlete Mental Health Ambassadors is a developing program everything in this handbook is subject to change without prior notice USC MHS is committed to ensuring this program is beneficial to both participants and sport communities and will make decisions for this program based on what is deemed best for all parties involved