Performing Department
Agricultural Economics, Sociol
Non Technical Summary
In order to generate interest and involvement in youth sports and fitness activities offered through Navy CYP Programs, efforts associated with communicating programming opportunities to families, youth, and teens should be considered. Research indicates that marketing can have positive effects on behavior and physical activity (Huhman et. al., 2005, 2007). Online resources are consistently used to find programming opportunities that meet needs and interests. Diem (2008) concluded that: (1) using a marketing approach can lead to the development of higher quality programming and increased participation; (2) running a successful program requires ensuring the needs and interests of patrons and the community are being met; and (3) the value of a program lies within the image presented. The Navy Virtual Youth Program (VYP), designed to engage youth and parents in a virtual location, communicates consistent programming opportunities through the Directory of Opportunities (DOO) and marketing materials, and will promote the Navy CYP with a redesigned and modern virtual presence.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Navy Youth Sports and Fitness (YSF) Program Goal 1: Create an ongoing infrastructure of implementation support to assist installation child and youth programs with continuous quality improvement.Goal 2: Conduct Navy YSF program annual assessments of the installation child and youth program offerings to ensure the adequacy of resources and to gauge the success for meeting requirements.Goal 3: Initiate the revision process of the Navy YSF OM to include positive youth development principles and alterations as a result of information received during the Navy YSF program assessments.Goal 4: Continue the evaluation process for the Navy YSF program.Navy Virtual Youth Program (VYP)Goal 1: Conduct assessments of Teen Programs to determine needed resources.Goal 2: Determine online learning opportunities for all Child and Youth staff.Goal 3: Provide content information for the website associated with the YSF Project.Goal 4: Promote marketing and communication materials for Navy CYP Programs.
Project Methods
As the next phase of the YSF program is introduced, an obstacle installation CYP Programs could face is meeting the sports Core Service Area requirements as outlined within the Navy YSF Program OM, which indicate that installation CYP Programs must have, or find, the resources necessary to offer sports programming opportunities to Navy patrons (e.g., initiating a sports camp, operating a clinic, maintaining a sports league). Installation CYP Programs that do not have the resources readily available to independently meet these requirements must establish relationships with community organizations. Establishing and fostering relationships with YSF contract-ready partners can require a thoughtful process.First, YSF programming information will be gathered from the most recent installation CYP Programs inspection. Second, a virtual meeting between the Clearinghouse and CYP professionals at each installation will be conducted based on information from step one. A compilation of the gathered data will be used in partnership with Navy CYP HQ staff to (1) make possible adjustments to YSF recommendations at the installation; (2) provide programming guidance to the installation CYP Programs; and (3) offer insight for future updates to the next version of the Navy YSF Program OM.The Navy YSF Program OM provides the framework for requirements and implementation. The first iteration of the Navy YSF Program OM was finalized by the Clearinghouse approximately three years ago. Since then, based on the Program Assessments and ongoing implementation of YSF programming opportunities, the Clearinghouse has maintained a cataloged list of changes, additions, updates, and promising practices to inform the recommendations for a second version of the Navy YSF Program OM.Therefore, a subcomponent of future program efforts is to develop a marketing effort to attract the teen population. As part of this effort, the Clearinghouse will develop an online evaluation survey to be completed by Navy youth and teens. Information received from this survey will help guide the future of the Navy YSF Program and give participants a voice in the direction of the Navy YSF Program.