Athletes
Athletes are responsible for their own development. The dual career programme is implemented in order to make the combination of school and sports as easy as possible. Therefore, all the involved stakeholders are willing to help them in case that this is necessary. Make your athletes aware of the possibilities that are given!
As a coordinator you make sure all the athletes are aware of their roles and activities. Communicate this towards your athletes and make sure everyone in your team has this knowledge, in case you need them. The athletes are, of course, the centre of the whole programme. They need to be aware of this and try to get the most out of the support that will be arranged for them. To start with, they could also use some information.
What do athletes need to know?
Why is a dual career important for them (what is their advantage in participating in sports)?
The club’s dual career vision / philosophy (to know the values of the programme and in what way they will be supported).
The programme is developed to support them, but they are the ones who are in charge of their own development.
That at some point they might face difficult transitions and what it takes to overcome them.
How do you involve athletes?
Make the coaches actively ask them about their dual career and the challenges that they are currently facing.
Organise workshops for the athletes that help them to develop skills for personal development (see implementation).
Let them do small assignments to determine what their goals are for the coming period and what they want to learn from the DONA-project.
Share the (proud) stories of athletes: who are they, what do they do and how do they combine sport and study?
Guidelines for athletes to participate. As an athlete..
You take responsibility for your own development. You are aware of the importance of the programme and the chance that it gives you, and therefore you will actively make use of the possibilities.
You work actively on your personal development. You go to the established workshops and try to implement your findings in your daily life.
You will ask for help from your coach, ambassadors or other experts when you think that it is necessary.
You are aware of your current career and you set goals for the short and long term.
You are aware of the dual career vision of the club and are able to communicate this effectively to other people.
“The friction between sport and training also has positive sides. In society, not everything is focused on sport and not everything is arranged for you. The fact that athletes have to find a solution for this themselves is also a part of growing up as a sports talent. ”
best practice - team Denmark (as described in erasmus+ project ICDC)
The approach of Team Denmark is that the athlete is responsible for his or her own development. An important goal of sports psychologists is to work step by step with the athletes towards more personal responsibility in their dual career. For that reason, the athlete is in the middle (the triangle). For each athlete Team Denmark looks at three levels, namely personality and identity, life as an elite athlete, life skills and mental skills in dual career. Especially on the second level, collaboration with lifestyle coaches and career counsellors in sport and education is important.
Working on personal development and identity is an important basis in the model. While many sports psychologists tend to work immediately with visualisation or goal setting, Team Denmark method first focuses on the behaviour, self-image, motives and values of its athletes. Surrounding the athlete is a circle representing the sport and non-sport environment into which the athlete is embedded.
According to ICDC: The Talent Skills student
is able to manage and account for its own development;
takes the initiative and chooses the right channels to get in touch with the team around him/her;
is able to recognise his/her own role within the team / group and has / identifies alternative actions;
is able to present himself/herself representatively and not to harm others;
is able to organise a balanced lifestyle and recognise and solve personal challenges / threats.