This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Major League Baseball’s RBI Institute with Jeff (@Jeff_CRSF) and Bobby (@Bobby_CRSF) in Orlando, FL.
Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) is a Major League Baseball youth outreach program. Among many things, the program is designed to increase participation and interest in baseball and softball among underserved youth, encourage academic participation and achievement, and teach the value of teamwork.
RBI has programs all across the country and, once a year, their staff and league directors come together for a conference to discuss a variety of topics including programming, league details, child safety, etc. This year, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation was asked to present on two very relevant topics: bullying, and alcohol and substance abuse.
Jeff did a great 15 minute presentation on:
- The types of bullying
- The effects of bullying
- How to recognize signs of bullying
- Intervention
- Prevention
*Update: The presentation on identifying and preventing bullying behavior is now available on the Materials page, under "Planning Field Activities." We are working on some more resources to help you prevent and respond to bullying behavior with your kids, so stay tuned!
Following Jeff, Ernie Graham, a former University of Maryland Basketball star who is now a substance abuse prevention speaker, shared his story with them. Ernie has a very unique story that shows the dangers of getting involved with drugs and the effects they can have on your life. I encourage you to check his story out on our portal and show it to your kids.
By the end of his presentation there was a line out the door to thank him for his message or tell him about the impact he’s already had on their kids through his work. Talking to your kids about important topics such as drugs, alcohol, or bullying can be tough, but it is extremely important. It could help them avoid the same mistakes Ernie made.
Do you have any unique ways or suggestions on how to talk about these topics? If so, please share them with us.