A popular Christmas song boldly declares, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

Yet, for many this is rarely the case. Some will be celebrating the holidays for the first time without a loved one. Feelings of isolation, loneliness, or betrayal will be multiplied over the coming weeks. Often times unmet expectations of the holiday season mix with the grey and gloom of winter to bring deep levels of depression. And for most people, the hustle and bustle of extra shopping, extra parties, crowded parking lots and check-out lines lead to greater stress than other times of the year.

Yes, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year is too often felt as the most difficult.

But we can change that.

Well, we probably can’t change it for everybody. But we can intentionally spread some holiday cheer this week and make it a little more wonderful for somebody. And if we can brighten one person’s day, maybe their smile can brighten one more.

Plus, given the fact the quickest way to find happiness is to help someone else find theirs, intentionally spreading holiday cheer is the best way to find it ourselves. Consider this list of simple ideas you could complete this week. Most of them cost less than $20 and will take less than 10 minutes.

12 Uniquely Simple Ideas to Spread Some Holiday Cheer

1. Handwrite a letter.The handwritten letter has become a lost art in our world. During the holiday season, the handwritten letter has been replaced by the mass produced-family-photo-card-purchased-on-Shutterfly. And in a world where handwritten letters have been forgotten, their uniqueness and value increases dramatically. So find yourself 10 minutes, a stamp, and an envelope. Choose an old friend with a current street address and put some of your thoughts of appreciation on paper. You’ll be glad you did. And it will be the best piece of mail your friend receives this holiday season.
2. FaceTime/Skype an old friend. Technology has entirely changed our lives. In my lifetime alone, the idea of video conferencing with a friend has gone from far-fetched science fiction to cultural norm. Use it to your advantage by connecting face-to-face with an old friend or a friend halfway around the world. It doesn’t need to be too long, just lengthy enough to wish them a happy holiday and maybe compare how much the children have grown.
3. Buy coffee for a stranger. Next time you roll through the drive-thru of your local coffee shop, offer to pay for yourself and the person behind you (if they have already ordered, the cashier should have their bill handy). Or better yet,  leave a $20 bill with the cashier after you pay and ask him/her to pay for the following customers until the $20 runs out. Either way, coupled with their favorite beverage, this pleasant surprise is guaranteed to brighten someone’s day.
4. Smile and joke with your next cashier.The hustle and bustle and stress-filled shopping days leading up to Christmas results in plenty of customer-frustration. Parking lots are crowded, shelves are empty, aisles are full, and check-out lines are long. During these days in retail, even the simplest of smiles from a customer is too rare and fleeting. Next time you reach the front of the check-out line, make the most of your interaction by smiling, engaging, and flashing a little humor.
5. Leave a nice tip.Rare is the waiter or waitress getting wealthy at their job serving food to patrons. Most of the servers I know are working the shift just trying to make the ends meet for themselves and their family. An extra $20 added to their nightly tip will certainly bring some extra holiday cheer—especially during a busy time of the year when they’d rather be home with their family.
6. Buy movie tickets for a family in your neighborhood.Know somebody on your block who has fallen into some difficult financial times? How ’bout putting some movie gift cards in an envelope and leaving it on their doorstep? Time with family is always good. And some holiday entertainment may be just the distraction they need to experience a little extra cheer.
7. Ask your religious friend about the story behind the season. Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and other religions all celebrate important dates and remembrances during the month of December. The next time you are at a holiday party, ask your spiritual friend the story behind their religion’s celebration. Almost certainly, their eyes will light up that somebody expressed interest in something so important to them. And whether you choose to believe the story or not, you will become better informed about another culture’s understanding of the season. Win-win.
8. Invite someone over for dinner.For any number of reasons, there are many people alone during the holidays. If you know someone alone this season, open your house to them for a meal. Rather than infringing on your holiday traditions, it may just become one of your favorites.
9. Send a gift of food/coffee.There are countless inexpensive, clutter-free gift ideas that can be shipped nearly anywhere in the world. With minimal expense and just a few mouse clicks, you can easily send an edible gift to show someone your appreciation for them.
10. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway. Granted, with the prevalence of snowblowers nowadays, this early morning surprise may be a little less appreciated than in years past. But if you can bring a little cheer to your neighbor’s face on a cold, snowy morning during the holiday season, your good deed will not go unnoticed—and will likely get mentioned by the recipient as soon as they arrive at work. And when it does, it will sound something like this, “You’ll never guess what my neighbor did for me this morning…”
11. Bring in a warm breakfast for your office. Doughnuts are great. I mean, everybody loves the guy who brings in doughnuts. But to take it even one step further this holiday season, bring in something warm for your officemates to eat. If the timing is right, you can bring in something homemade.
12. Go ahead, sing along. Whether in your car, in the office, or in the store, you know the songs. They get played every year. And quite frankly, some of them are pretty darn catchy. So go ahead, sing along when you get the chance. It’ll brighten your mood and almost certainly the mood of the person next to you as well. Even if singing isn’t your strongest talent, you can always hum along. Remember, cheerfulness is contagious.

We probably can’t change the entire world with these simple ideas. But we can still intentionally seek to add life and cheer to the people around us. And as a result, make this season a little more wonderful.

Requirements for Child Abuse Prevention Reporting, Training and Policies

President Trump signed the federal Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 into law in February 2018. Many believe that this act primarily applies to National Governing Bodies (NGBs) such as U.S. Gymnastics, Paralympic Organizations and their member organizations. However, it also directly or indirectly applies to all amateur youth sports organizations.

This article will concentrate on the impact and ramifications of mandatory reporting, training, and prevention policies to non-NGB amateur sports organizations, which will be referred to as “Non-NGB sports organizations.”

Why the Safe Sport Act will be effective

This legislation was designed to have a broad-based impact on actually protecting our youth. The same is not true of initiatives that concentrate solely or primarily on criminal background checks. That’s because only about 5% of sex abusers even have a criminal background that could be detected.

Criminal background checks are a must as a level of minimum due diligence. But they don’t impact the other 95% of the sex abusers who don’t have a criminal record. Furthermore, the Safe Sport Act also applies to all forms of child abuse, including physical and emotional abuse.

Which non-NGB sport organizations are required to comply?

Non-NGB sports organizations include those teams, leagues, camps, sports facilities, tournament hosts, churches, and schools that participate in interstate or international amateur athletic competitions, and whose membership includes any adult who is in regular contact with an amateur athlete who is a minor.

The reach of the federal act is limited to organizations that are engaged in interstate or international commerce or activities. Interstate competition refers to sports organizations that travel across state lines to compete. But even those that do not travel across state lines are indirectly impacted by the act because it sets a new standard of care that will likely apply to all organizations. Most states will also move to pass state-specific legislation that directly applies to sports organizations that do not cross state lines.

What Is directly required of non-NGB sports organizations under the Safe Sport Act?

Mandatory Reporting

“The term ‘covered individual’ under the Safe Sport Act means an adult who is … authorized by an amateur youth sports organization that participates in interstate or international amateur athletic competitions to interact with a minor or amateur athlete at an amateur sport organization facility or at an event (including travel, lodging, practice, competition, and health or medical treatment) sanctioned by an amateur sports organization.”

Participating adults are required to report suspicions of child abuse including sex abuse, as soon as possible (within a 24-hour period) to the appropriate law enforcement agencies, as determined by state or federal law.

Each state has a separate law relating to mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. Some states require every adult to report suspicions of abuse and neglect. Others only require certain adults to report under certain circumstances.

The Safe Sport Act provides a limitation of liability provision that protects the sports entity and any officer, employee, agent, or member who reports suspicions of abuse. They are protected against civil actions for defamation, slander, and libel arising from the execution of their functions under the Act. In addition, the Act prohibits retaliation by the amateur sports organization against the reporting individual.

Mandatory Prevention Training

Non-NGB sports organizations must “offer and provide consistent training to all adult members who are in regular contact with amateur athletes who are minors, and subject to parental consent, to members who are minors regarding prevention and reporting of child abuse…”

It is important to note that the type of training contemplated under the Act is not merely to identify those who may already have been victimized by abuse by a list of indicators. Instead it is to learn how to prevent sexual abuse from occurring. In other words, the training must be proactive rather than reactive.

The most essential part of proactive training is to learn the process of sexual grooming of both minor victims and parents. Grooming is the process by which predators gain access to vulnerable youth, gradually introduce sexual interaction, and then keep the child silent.

The key to preventing the grooming process is to train all participating adults in a sports organization on understanding how it works, identifying when it is occurring, and taking appropriate action.

Mandatory Prevention Policies

The Safe Sport Act requires sports organizations to establish reasonable procedures to limit one-on-one interactions between an adult and an amateur athlete who is a minor… without being in an observable and interruptible distance from another adult.

The Safe Sport Act has been criticized for not requiring other prevention procedures for non-NGB sports organizations. However, in addition to limiting one-on-one interactions, a well-written child abuse/molestation risk management program will incorporate other more specific prevention policies such as:

• Requiring the presence of more than one adult at every activity
• Having a take-home/pick-up policy to prevent one-on-one situations with a child who was not picked up by parents after practice
• Defining appropriate touching of a child
• Avoiding socialization with participants outside of sponsored activities
• Avoiding overnight sleepover social functions.

Indirect application of the Safe Sport Act to non-NGB sports associations

The emphasis of this article keys in on the less stringent requirements of mandatory reporting, prevention training, and prevention policies that directly apply to non-NGB sports organizations.

However, there are many more stringent requirements for NGBs and Paralympic sports organizations and their members that don’t directly apply to non-NGB sports organizations. The Safe Sport Act requires NGBs and Paralympic organizations to work with the U.S. Center for Safe Sport. The USCSS exercises jurisdiction over NGBs with regard to safeguarding amateur athletes against abuse. This includes further training, oversight policies, and procedures to prevent all forms of child abuse. Child abuse is a much broader topic than just sex abuse and also includes emotional and physical abuse.

The additional polices required of NGBs through their association with U.S Center for Safe Sports include:

• Mandatory reporting to the U.S. Center for Safe Sports
• Mechanism for reporting
• Procedures to prohibit retaliation
• Oversight procedures, such as regular and random audits conducted by subject matter specialists to ensure that policies are being correctly followed.

It could be argued that these additional, more stringent requirements for NGBs and Paralympic organizations have set a standard of care that could apply to all sports organizations.

What if an amateur sports organization fails to comply and does not meet the standard of care?

Quite simply, failure to comply with a federal statute meant to protect the public safety is negligence per se and an easy win for the claimant. Under the Act, the claimant may bring a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court. They can recover actual damages or liquidated damages in the amount of $150,000 and the costs of the action including reasonable attorney’s fees. The court may also allow punitive damages.

Insurance carriers offering coverage for sex abuse / molestation may demand compliance with the Safe Sport Act as an underwriting requirement as a pre-condition of coverage.

Recommendation for compliance with the Safe Sport Act:

1. Your sports organization should have a written child abuse risk management plan that satisfies the mandatory reporting, education, and prevention policies.
2. Distribute the plan via paper or electronic format on an annual basis to all participating adults who are in regular contact with minor amateur athletes. Be able to obtain their written acknowledgment that they have received and completed the training.Document compliance with 1 and 2 above so that it can be introduced into evidence in the event of an allegation covered by the Safe Sport Act.

Winter isn’t the easiest season to stay healthy. Darkness comes early, inspiring us to curl up on the couch instead of heading out to exercise. It’s often bitterly cold, plus you have to battle the countless cold and flu germs doing their best to make you sick. No wonder so many people want to stay under the covers until spring.

Even though your body is telling you to hibernate, there are things you can do to battle the challenges of cold, dark winter days. Here are several simple ways to stay healthy this winter.

Winter days are shorter with a much smaller window of natural light. “The [decrease] in daylight can throw off a lot of things including socialization and emotional rhythm,” Sanam Hafeez, an adjunct assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, tells NPR. Try to get as much exposure to the sun as you can, whether that means sitting by the window or taking a walk at lunchtime. Winter is a great time to take a vacation in a sun-drenched locale, if you have the time and the resources.

Some people find that light therapy in the form of a light box can help when the hours of natural daylight just aren’t enough. This phototherapy seems to be especially helpful for people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression associated with lack of light during the winter months.

If the long, dark evenings just seem to drag on, then go to bed earlier. That lets you take advantage of the light in the morning and get more sleep, Hafeez suggests.

It’s harder to exercise when it’s cold outside. If you’re accustomed to walking, biking or running in the evenings, your plans have to change when it gets dark by late afternoon. See if you can switch your outdoor exercise routine to earlier in the day so you can still take advantage of daylight and get all the benefits of being outdoors.

If that doesn’t work, try to stay active in the evenings. Join a class or make a standing gym or mall-walking date with a friend so you can keep each other motivated.

And remember, you don’t have to get all your exercise in at once. You can sneak in 10 minutes here and there by running up and down your steps at home or just doing a few laps around your block when you have time. Put on some music and dance in your living room or pace while talking on the phone. It all adds up and will make you feel better.

It can be tempting to turn to comfort foods when you’re holed up inside on a cold night. But it’s important to give your body healthy fuel so you’re not just downing empty calories and unnecessary fat. Eat a well-rounded diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, healthy whole grains, proteins and low-fat dairy.

We tend to eat more in winter, which means we also tend to pack on extra pounds. Instead of just eating a lot of food, add healthy filling foods, like protein, to your diet. It also can help to eat smaller portions throughout the day and making lunch your biggest meal. In one study, people who ate their largest meal at lunch lost an average of three pounds versus those whose largest meal was at dinner.

Because we tend to stay indoors more in winter, cold and flu viruses are easily spread from person to person. All that sneezing and coughing and nose blowing makes the indoors a breeding ground for germs. All you have to do is touch a doorknob or shake a hand and you’re sick.

Do your best to stay healthy with these germ-avoiding tips:

Wash your hands. You pick up viruses everywhere and they live on your hands, so wash your hands and do it often. The best recipe is regular soap and water, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But if that’s not an option, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Keep your hands away from your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands. That’s one way viruses can get into your body.

Get the flu shot. It’s no guarantee, but getting the flu vaccine lowers your chances of coming down with the flu. For example, getting the vaccine last year resulted in a 34 percent lower risk of coming down with the flu.

Avoid sick people. It seems like a no-brainer but if someone around you is sick, then keep your distance. Respiratory viruses spread very easily through the air, so keep at least six feet between you and the sneezing, sniffling, coughing person, suggests Consumer Reports.

Mistakes.

We all make them, even without the stress of competition looming. We make wrong turns, we drop things we didn’t intend, and we say things without filtering our thoughts. Add the pressure of competition to the mix, and the chances for mistakes escalate.

As athletes compete and strive to get better, mistakes are simply part of the process. If you are not making mistakes, you probably aren’t making progress. While we can’t eliminate mistakes from the athletic process, we can learn to manage them more productively. Our responses to mistakes often hold the pen to our reputation. When you make a mistake, be it on or off the field, court or track, how will that affect your story? Will it cause you to compound the issue and self-destruct, or will you use it as a learning opportunity and ultimately be better off?

Following these three simple steps can help you overcome your mistakes and even use them as a launching pad to get somewhere greater.

1. Own Your Mistake

Owning your mistake is the first step toward overcoming it. It can be scary to own your mistake, but there’s ultimately no better way to move forward. By blaming others, you remove your power to change. Realize that the mistake was a moment in time that is now behind you. We can’t go back in time. But we can own the fact that we made a mistake and use that ownership to inform our next decisions. Blaming and defending a mistake will not get you any closer to achieving the growth and improvement you need to push past that mistake.

2. Work to Find the Improvement

Now that you’ve taken ownership of your mistake, how are you going to learn from it? Take accountability by seeking to improve your technique, understanding or position to avoid repeating the same mistake. The worst thing you can do is resign yourself to the idea that the mistake is in your nature and you have no way to avoid it. Your mistake cannot define you. If you allow it to, it will impede your abilities to improve and receive feedback from coaches, teammates, etc. Confidence is created by your improvements. Identify the improvements that can help you avoid making the same mistake in the future, and get to work on making them happen.

3. Intelligently Expend More Effort

One thing you can always control is your effort. Make an effort to be accountable, learn from your mistake, and make the necessary improvements. If you’re still stuck in the past and haven’t owned your mistake or are shifting blame, then you’re expending your effort in the wrong places. Focus on the next play and control what you can control. Be aware of the mistake you made in the past, but don’t live in fear of making another. The only way you’ll be able to move on from a mistake is with sustained effort in the right places.

No matter what your mistake might be, taking those three steps, in order, can help you productively push forward.

But how should you act when a teammate makes a mistake?

Breathe confidence, not criticism, into your teammates. Adam Grant, Professor at the Wharton Business School and best-selling author of Give & Take, often brings up the fact that neuro-imaging research has found our brains respond more positively to leaders who have shown us empathy. They need to own their mistakes just like anyone else, but once they’ve done that, help them identify their improvements and expend intelligent effort. Encouragement means to give courage. How you respond to a teammate’s mistake will influence the trust you have moving forward.

What if you’re a coach and one of your players has made a mistake?

Demonstrate resilience and not discouragement to your athletes. In a study from New York University, researchers found the more someone looks up to their leaders and are moved by their compassion or kindness), the more loyal they become. As coaches, we seek a loyal commitment. Athletic success will almost always require it. Have compassion, then seek the correction!

http://www.stack.com/a/how-young-athletes-can-productively-push-past-mistakes