Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 45 An interview with Norm Jakubowski, Saskatchewan’s Provincial RespectED Manager How did the partnership between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Canadian Red Cross (CRC) Respected begin? In December 2009, RespectED and the Saskatchewan Roughrider’s Community Relationships Coordinator met to discuss the possibility of players teaching youth how to stop bullying through RespectED’s bullying prevention program, Beyond the Hurt. The partnership had the potential to be win-win: youth would learn about stopping bullying from real-life sports heroes, and players who want to stay in Saskatchewan during the off-season could benefit from some outside employment and community involvement. What did the agreement between the Roughriders and CRC RespectED look like? The players requested their traditional appearance fee ($250.00/2 hours) plus expenses. RespectED required that the players be trained in Beyond the Hurt, that the presentation focus on Beyond the Hurt and not football, that they create a 90–120 minute presentation, that they clear the presentation with the RespectED manager, and that a presentation be observed by a RespectED staff person. Based on mutual agreement, we moved forward with a pilot project. What was learned during the pilot? * Best practices for logistics, as all bookings, invoicing, and payments were done through the CRC * Ways to more effectively communicate with schools, the players and the football club * How to schedule efficiently * Gauging and managing the demand for presentations * How to create relevant, effective presentations for school assemblies involving multiple classes and grades What have the successes been? Notwithstanding the learning curve, there is reason to celebrate! Between February and June 2010, 42 schools were reached by two Roughriders players, educating about 6,625 young people on how to prevent bullying. We have received many testimonials of the value of the presentation, and most of the evaluations we receive from the youth are positive. The players have told us they want to continue next year and they would gladly forgo autograph sessions arranged by the club to do RespectED work. Saskatchewan Roughriders teaching youth how to stop bullying CANAdiAN Red Cross Roughrider team member Weston Dressler talking to students and signing autographs at Manor School in Manor, Saskatchewan. Each player was asked to autograph only “Beyond The Hurt” pamphlets. Roughrider team member Luc Mullinder explaining “Beyond the Hurt” handout to students from Stoughton, Saskatchewan.
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