Jr. Leadership Challenge

WBA VISION

World Baseball Academy vision is to develop leaders who positively impact our world.  

WBA JUNIOR LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

WBA Junior Leadership Challenge is a program that allows students to independently become active in their community by volunteering to help others.

WBA CORE CHARACTER TRAITS

WBA Junior Leadership Challenge intentionally encourages young people to recognize and apply these Core Character Traits to enable success on and off the field.

  • Integrity – “Committed to do the RIGHT things.”
  • Knowledge – “Being eager to LEARN.”
  • Discipline – “FOCUSED on the task at hand.”
  • Perseverance – “Adapting and overcoming with a POSITIVE ATTITUDE.”
  • Respect – “VALUING others, oneself, and the game.”
  • Initiative – “Recognizing and DOING what needs to be done.”

PURPOSE 

To inspire WBA participants with a challenge that utilizes initiative to volunteer and meet a need in our community.  

  • Skill Development
  • Core Character Values Awareness
  • Core Character Values Application
  • Serving (Volunteerism)

To provide a “learning by doing” challenge focused on the development of servant minded leadership.
Harvard Business School - Excerpt from Pfeffer and Sutton article called “The Knowing-Doing Gap:  How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action.” 

“The question is why does knowledge of what needs to be done frequently fail to result in action or behavior consistent with that knowledge.  We came to call this the knowing-doing gap. The answer to the ‘knowing-doing’ problem is deceptively simple:  Embed more of the process of acquiring new knowledge in the actual doing of the task and less in formal training programs that are frequently ineffective. As one comprehensive study of the development of executives concluded, ‘one learns to be a leader by serving as a leader.’  But this practice is rarely followed.”

AUDIENCE

WBA Junior Leadership Challenge is for Elementary School Students that includes a simple, individualized opportunity to give back to their community. 

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The participants who choose to become a part of WBA Junior Leadership Challenge will go through a series of five (5) steps to accomplish their challenge.  

Step 1: Skill Development & Core Value Awareness

  • Participation in at least one (1) WBA Program

Stage 2: Initiative / Volunteering

  • Demonstrate the WBA Core Value of Initiative
  • Volunteer for at least five (5) hours to help someone.
    • Students are encouraged to consider helping a friend, neighbor, grandparent or volunteering at an area nonprofit to help meet a need.  
    • We strongly encourage the student volunteers to help more than one person.  
    • Students can keep track of their minutes and hours to accumulate a total of five (5) hours or three hundred (300) minutes.
    • Chores do not count! That is a responsibility.
      • Parent / Legal Guardian supervision is required

Stage 3: Reflection

  • Write a sentence or short paragraph on what you learned by volunteering.
    • Parent / Legal Guardian may help write the sentence or short paragraph if needed. 

Stage 4: Parent / Legal Guardian Signature

  • Parent / Legal Guardian will need to sign validating the student accumulated five (5) hours of volunteer time.

Stage 5: Mail In / Receive Award

  • Student will mail in the Junior Leadership Challenge Form.
  • Upon receiving the Student Form, WBA will mail out a Junior Leadership Challenge Certificate along with a Free Kid’s Meal at Mitchell’s Sports & Neighborhood Grill!

LEADERSHIP TOPICS

The following leadership topics will be exhibited within WBA Junior Leadership Challenge.
Initiative

  • Goal Setting & Attainment
  • Discipline
  • Community Involvement
  • Respect
  • Problem Solving

TEACHING METHODS

WBA Junior Leadership Challenge will take a “learning by doing” approach to creating an experiential learning opportunity for the student participants.  The stages of the program will include the following teaching methods.

  • WBA Activity
  • Serving
  • Reflection

TIME FRAME

A participating student is not limited on the time frame that it takes to complete the five (5) hours of volunteering.  However, substantial delays in the process may result in a child missing out on their stated award due to potential changes to the program.

ASSESSMENT OF WBA LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

WBA will use varying methods to assess the knowledge gained by participants of the program.  This will help determine if the objectives of the program were achieved.  This will also aid in assessing if participants have gained leadership skills that were the focus of the program.  Methods of data collection will include:

  • Observation by WBA Staff
  • Community Service Hours and Evaluation
  • Written Feedback by Students
  • Survey to Parents

PUBLICIZING OF PROGRAM

World Baseball Academy will make this program available through the following means of communication:

  • WBA Website
  • Promotional Video 
  • Poster at ASH Centre Outdoor Complex
  • WBA Staff Communication within WBA Programs

INCENTIVES FOR COMPLETION

WBA Junior Leadership Challenge will include incentives to encourage the students to complete their five (5) hours of volunteering.

  • Completion + Mail-In: WBA Leadership Challenge Certificate + Free Kid’s Meal at Mitchell’s Sports & Neighborhood Grill