Developing a Team Mission Statement: Who are we? Where are we going? How are we going to get there?

A mission statement defines a groups purpose, describes the beliefs in how a group should function, and indicates the unique values of a group (Collins & Porras, 1991; Levin, 2000). Few studies in sport have specifically investigated the influence of a mission statement, but several high-performance teams have cited mission statements as a key for improved team performance and functioning (Hodge, Henry, &Smith, 2014; Yukelson, 1997). Recently, it has become more common for consultants to provide overviews of team building interventions in sport (e.g., Dunn & Holt, 2004; Pain & Harwood, 2009). However, even with initial evidence that mission statements may be beneficial for team cohesion and performance, little has been written about the process of developing a mission statement in the sport realm. Therefore, the purpose of the article is to outline the authors’ experiences leading an activity to develop a season-long mission statement with a collegiate varsity gymnastics team. Additionally, an overview of how the consultants gained entry and developed trust with the coaching staff and team, as well as reflections on what went well in the process and what could be enhanced for the greatest impact will be discussed

Coaches' perspectives about the act of mentoring within a sport coaching context

Research on mentoring has been taking place for decades and has spanned many contexts. In spite of this work and the widely held belief that mentoring works, very little research related to the phenomenon of mentoring has taken place in the sport context. More specifically, while some studies have examined the role of mentoring in the development of future coaches, very little has explored how coaches might serve as mentors to their athletes. Given the number of youth within sport and the roles that coaches play in sport, there is evidence to suggest that coaches might play the role of mentor to their athletes. In the quest to learn more about how mentoring takes place in this context, this study interviewed 13 coaches (4 males, 9 females) who coached with a character based sport organization in inner city Detroit. All coaches described themselves as mentors to their athletes. They also described very close relationships with athletes demonstrating the extent to which mentoring is a part of what they do as coaches. Coaches described mentoring as being made up of different functions depending on context, providing benefits to mentor and mentee and having challenges. The structure of mentoring in sport however, may be a blend of formal and informal approaches considered thus far in the research. This is exciting as we begin to examine the potential that mentoring in sport might hold for holistic athlete development and the teaching of life skills.Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Kinesiology, 2016Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-238

Collegiate Athletes Engaging in Activism: Perceptions of Social Justice Causes and Support from Significant Social Agents

Recently, collegiate athletes have used their platform to promote positive social change. Some possibilities for the increase of activism is athletes’ perceptions of societal issues and support from key social agents. However, these perceptions have been largely unexplored. The current study aimed to address those gaps by investigating collegiate athletes’ perceptions and investigating if various demographic characteristics influence the likelihood of activism engagement. Participants (n = 4,473) completed self-report scales on social justice causes and perceived support. For this sample, athletes who identified as male, Black, and More than One Race engaged in activism at a higher rate than expected and a majority of participants viewed all social issues as social justice causes. In terms of support, athletes viewed higher levels of general support than instrumental support and approval for engaging in activism and rated parents, friends, and teammates as most supportive in all three support categories. Activists, compared to non-activists, were more likely to view social issues as social justice related and rated most social agents as more approving of their own activism. Findings indicate that perceptions of social issues and support from social agents, especially non-sport social agents, might be one reason for collegiate athletes’ participation in activism

Youth Definitions of Success, Obstacles to Success, and How Significant Others Can Help: Providing Youth a Voice in Their Own Development

Positive Youth Development (PYD) programmes are often conceptualized and led by adults with little or no youth input. The purpose of this study was to better understand youth definitions of success, obstacles they face in achieving success, and how they perceive others can help. Interviews were conducted with 24 youth from three different contexts (swim club, church group, and reform home) in Trinidad and Tobago. The results indicated that youth have a varied understanding of success. Further, many youths’ definitions mirror those prescribed in PYD literature. Youth identified a variety of obstacles in their quest for success, and though similarities existed, several obstacles were context dependent. Finally, youth identified support and assistance as the best mechanisms to propel them to success. Support, both informal and formal, points to the significant role non-parent adults serve in the lives of youth. Implications for youth programmes and future research are discussed

Once You See It, You Can’t Unsee It?: Racial Justice Activism and Articulations of Whiteness Among White Collegiate Athlete Activists

The goal of this study was to examine how athletes holding privileged racial identities understand their whiteness as they engage in racial justice activism. Drawing from 12 semistructured interviews with white collegiate athletes who have engaged in activism for racial justice, we identified four higher order themes which we situate within a broader discussion of how each theme either reinforces or disrupts racial power: articulations of (a) racial consciousness, (b) white privilege, (c) white empathy, and (d) white accountability. While the white accountability theme has the potential to disrupt racial power due to its relying on rigorous self-critique, the remaining themes pointed to limited understandings of the systemic nature of racism, which can thus inadvertently (re)produce white supremacy even when engaging in activism for racial justice. Limitations, implications, and future directions for research are discussed to empower more white athletes to reflect critically on whiteness and facilitate systemic change

Multidisciplinary Prospective Study of Mother-to-Child Chikungunya Virus Infections on the Island of La Réunion

In a prospective study on the island of La Réunion, Marc Lecuit and colleagues find frequent transmission of Chikungunya virus by viremic mothers giving birth during an outbreak, resulting in serious infant illness

Psychotropic drug influences on brain acetylcholine utilization

The cholinergic antisynthesis agent HC-3 was given intraventricularly to young male rats 20–30 days old to deplete brain acetylcholine (ACh). The rate of HC-3 induced depletion of ACh was used as an index of ACh utilization. Total brain ACh was determined following various doses of chlordiazepoxide, pentobarbital, chlorpromazine, methotrimeprazine, imipramine, morphine, d -amphetamine, scopolamine, LSD-25, and phencyclidine given i.p. alone and after intraventricular administration of HC-3. It was found that psychotropic drugs have marked differential effects on the rate of HC-3 induced ACh depletion.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46382/1/213_2004_Article_BF00421968.pd

NATO’s strategic thinking in the changing security environment:

Some argue that the Russian invasion of Ukraine caused NATO to change course and put more emphasis on Collective Defence, which as we know, was the initial intent of the 1949 Washington Treaty. I contest that argument by explaining that the NATO has never lost sight of this initial intent. In its Strategic Concepts NATO has always maintained Collective Defence as one of its core tasks. In response to the Russian Federation’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, it had just stepped up its efforts to be prepared to defend the Euro-Atlantic area - witness the expressions of political will at subsequent NATO Summits and the increased defense budgets of its member states

Changing perceptions of alliance relations by select Southeast Asian states, 1951 - 1972

The purpose of this study is to examine the thesis that in the period from 1951 through 1972, the receptivity of select Southeast Asian states towards alliance relations with the United States underwent a change because of an erosion of faith on their part in the value of these alliance relations. Attendant to the thesis is the subordinate proposition that unilateral actions and pronouncements on the part of the United States were largely responsible for the erosion of faith. A larger question on which the study focuses in attempting to establish the degree of validity to be accorded the foregoing is that of what causes indigenous decision-makers to alter previous favorable perceptions of the alliance relations with the United States. To establish the degree of validity to be accorded the thesis and its subordinate premise, as well as the larger question, the technique of content analysis, and more specifically that of thematic analysis is employed. It is believed by the author that a major contribution of the study lies in the methodology developed for use of this technique. New ground is also covered in the relating of certain major events in Southeast Asia to the reactions of the select countries. The methodology provides for analysis of three Southeast Asian newspapers during select years between 1951 and 1972. Assertions indicative of the perceptions held by indigenous decision-makers were subject to thematic analysis. However, the study moves beyond the more basic thematic analysis. It does this by grouping major themes of like nature into "clusters," each of which is centered around one of the six major hypotheses designed to move the study from the general to the specific concerning perceptions the Southeast Asian countries have of their alliance relations with the United States. The larger question which underlays the focus of the study is understanding of those factors which may condition the perceptual changes occurring on the part of the Southeast Asian nations. Through use of thematic analysis the study attempts to identify the point where perceptions of alliance relations shift from favorable to unfavorable. A conclusion of the study is that this occurred sometime between 1966 and 1969; that in effect, enunciation of the Guam Doctrine in 1969 had been anticipated by the countries under study. Factors causing this shift were identified with the perceptions Southeast Asian leaders had of United States activities and pronouncements. The favorable perceptions as a result of massive United States impute into Vietnam were eroded by a visible deterioration of the American will to persist in Southeast Asia. Among the major conclusions arrived at in the study are that the countries of Southeast Asia are sensitive to the power balance in the area; that as United States power was perceived to wane, the countries shifted to more pragmatic considerations concerning courses of action to pursue in relation to Russia and China. For the United States these perceptual changes are seen to offer opportunities, but no longer simply through resort to unilateral actions and decisions. The study anticipates that for the United States the years subsequent to 1972 will require readjustment and curtailment of its goals in this region.Includes bibliographical references