First - A coach provides personal support that is often lacking in today’s isolated world. The coach is interested in the individual’s problems and accomplishments and wants to dig in to help youth get where they need to go. It is a great confidence builder for kids to know they have a partner traveling the path with them.



Secondly - Accountability is a major part of coaching. It is amazing how much youth can get done when they know someone will be asking about it. Not only does the coach ask about progress and action toward the goal, but he or she will also help analyze any difficulties and help adapt plans to compensate. The coach helps keep youth on track, points it out when they wander and helps deal with the inevitable distractions.

Thirdly - A coach helps youth by providing clarity and boosting creativity. The old saying “two heads are better than one” is very often true. This happens in several ways. The coach will help youth to get a very clear picture of their goals and the reasons it is important to achieve it. This is vital for true motivation. The coach sparks the process of generating options on how to deal with problems and assures that decisions are made carefully. A coach is trained to help sort through possibilities and find what is best for the individual.

And finally - the last characteristic that leads to the success of coaching is that a coach is impartial. Many of us have wonderful relationships with family and friends, but each one of those people brings his or her personal bias to the youth’s goal. A coach is trained to set their own opinions aside - to stay with the facts and to keep the focus on what the youth actually wants.

This is a brief overview of a very unique profession. Our hope is that learning about coaching will inspire you to bring coaching skills to the children and youth in your care.

Having a coach is a powerful means to improving self esteem in youth and helping them achieve their fullest potential. There are four main reasons for this success...