PhD, Associate Professor A.E. Terentyev¹
Dr. Hab., Professor L.A. Rapoport¹
E.V. Kharitonova^1
1 Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg

Keywords: physical education, sports, regional project, Sverdlovsk Oblast, leadership, Sports Leader Project, healthy lifestyle, physical education and sports, GTO Complex Test Center.

Background. One of the priority progress goals of the national physical education and sports sector is to increase the share of the population groups committed for habitual physical education and sports and healthy lifestyle. As required by the Presidential Decree No. 204 May 7, 2018 "On the national progress goals and strategic objectives of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2024", the habitually sporting population should reach 55% of the total by 2024 [6]. The missions and goals set by the Presidential Decree set a framework for the regional and federal socio-economic development projects.

Thus, the regional "physical education and sports and mass sport provisions for every population group and category including the sports assets and sports reserve training infrastructure” Project ("Sports as the life norm") implemented under the national "Demography" Project sets the following three progress benchmarks for the popular physical education and sports service: (1) the habitual physical education and sports committed children and youth population (aged 3-29 years) should grow to 86.8% from 82.6% by 2024; (2) the habitual physical education and sports committed middle-aged population (30-54 year old women and 30-59 year old men) should grow to 55% from 16.4%; and (3) the habitual physical education and sports committed senior population (55-79 years old women and 60-79 years old men) should grow to 25% from 6% [2]. This stratification of the physical education and sports progress benchmarks by the age groups gives a framework for the relevant regional physical education and sports projects. We have analyzed herein one of such initiatives – that is the Sports Leader Project for the Sverdlovsk Oblast schoolchildren and their families.

Objective of the study was to analyze design and potential benefits of the Sports Leader Project for the Sverdlovsk Oblast schoolchildren and their families.

Methods and structure of the study. We designed the Sports Leader Project using the general scientific analysis, synthesis and comparison methods. The Project was initiated pursuant to the governmental decision to nominate the Sverdlovsk Oblast one the experimental grounds for the federal "Sport at the life norm" Project with its regional focus groups and systemic physical education and sport services [3]. The Sverdlovsk Oblast based focus group for the above project is called "School Sports”.

Results and discussion. The Sport Leader Project is designed to: (1) Provide the managerial and practical support for self-reliant school physical education and sports trainings complemented by the GTO Complex trainings and tests with contributions from the families; (2) help every school form a physical education and sports activist group of the schoolchildren having necessary leadership and managerial qualities proven in the school education, physical education and sports; (3) design and offer efficient mechanisms to synergize the school physical education and sport service with the GTO Complex Test Center services to effectively train the school physical education and sports activists for the self-reliant physical education and sports activity supported by their families.

The Sports Leader Project will be implemented by (1) Project coordinator - an organization in charge of the Project management, practical support and informational coverage; (2) School physical education and sports activists’ training organizations including the relevant sports schools, GTO Complex Test Centers, general education schools and special physical education and sports service organizations; and (3) schoolchildren activists.

An objective of the Sports Leader Project is to train the school sports leaders i.e. the students with excellent physical education and sports management skills and leadership qualities manifested in every field of the school education, physical education, sports and health activities. The Project gives a special priority to the school activist group training and its support in the self-reliant physical education and sports service to the classmates. This training will be provided by a school mentoring teams of the physical education and sports trainers and instructors and the GTO Complex Test Center experts. Generally the Project is geared to develop the physical education and sports competences and motivations both in the schoolchildren and their families for effective involvement of the peers in the physical education and sports trainings and mass sports/ health initiatives and events with the further physical education and sports promotion effects in the local communities. We believe that the mentoring group service may be highly beneficial [1, 4, 5] for the Sports Leader Project as the mentors not only share their experiences with the sports leaders but also help them design and manage own physical education and sports progress trajectories.

The sports leader training process will include the stages to: (1) Select the prospects demonstrating leadership qualities and active interests and progresses in the school learning, physical education and sports; (2) Train the sports leaders by a seven-level training program; and (3) Assist the sports leaders in their efforts to recruit and motivate peers for the self-reliant physical education and sports, school sports and mass sports/ health initiatives and events with the broader population engagement effects.

The 7-level sports leader training program is designed to facilitate the staged growth of the sports leadership qualities in the trainees, with the staged expansion of the sports leader managerial terms of reference and promotion – from the school self-reliant group trainings (Level 1) to the municipal physical education and sports projects and events management service (Level 7). It should be emphasized that the Sports Leader Project offers training programs both for the junior physical education and sports activists and adult school physical education and sports service personnel (mentors). The youth physical education and sports activist training program offers the following theoretical modules: physical education and sports theory; leadership psychology, rhetoric/ speaking culture; project management; and practical physical education and sports service methods. And the school physical education and sports mentor training program covers the modern physical education and sports service methods and tools; psychological and tutorial support for the school sports leaders; operational management; and communication skills advancement modules.

Potential benefits of the Sports Leader Project are at least the following: growth of the population groups committed for healthy lifestyles and habitual physical education and sports; prevention of destructive behaviors in the teenage population; family strengthening with a special priority to the traditional healthy family values and priorities; and advancement of the physical education and sports / health services in the leisure-time domain of the local communities.

Conclusion. Despite the fact that the Sports Leader Project is designed to improve the school physical education and sports service on the regional scale, its potential may be beneficial for contributing to much wider social progress initiatives. Success of the regional Sports Leader Project piloting initiative will make it possible to roll out the Project experience not only in the region but also across the Russian Federation.

References

1. Dudina E.A. Mentoring as special type of teaching activity: essential characteristics and structure. Vestnik Novosibirskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. 2017. v.7. no. 5. pp.25-36.
2. The passport of the regional project “Creation of conditions for physical education and sports, mass sports for all categories and groups of the population, including increasing the level of provision of the population with sports facilities and sports reserve training”, approved by the protocol of the meeting of the Council under the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region on priority strategic projects of the Sverdlovsk area dated 18.12.20018 No. 18 [electronic resource] Available at: http://minsport.midural.ru/tmp_file/file_5cee1cd39522c.pdf
3. Order of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation dated March 01, 2019 No. 175 “On approval of the list of constituent entities of the Russian Federation - experimental sites that ensure the involvement of focus groups in systematic physical education and sports in the framework of the federal project“ Sport as standard of living” [electronic resource] Available at: http://minsport.midural.ru/tmp_file/file_5cee1d39108bb.pdf
4. Sergienko E.I. Psychodidactics of higher and secondary education. Proc. 11th international res.-practical conference. Barnaul: Altai state ped. un-ty publ.. 2016. pp. 214-219. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=26079784
5. Urmina I.A., Gorelova N.N. Mentoring, its role in history and modern times. Sotsialnaya politika i sotsiologiya. 2010. No,7 (61). pp. 85-94.
6. Decree of the President of Russia dated May 7, 2018 No. 204 “On National Goals and Strategic Tasks of the Development of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2024” [electronic resource] Available at: http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57425

Corresponding author: fizkult@teoriya.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to analyze design and potential benefits of the Sports Leader Project for the Sverdlovsk Oblast schoolchildren and their families.

Methods and structure of the study. When developing the project, the authors used the following general scientific methods: analysis, synthesis, and comparison. The project was initiated upon inclusion of the Sverdlovsk region in the number of experimental sites that ensure the involvement of focus groups in regular physical education and sports activities under the "Sport as Life Norm" federal project.

Results and discussion. The Sports Leader project was designed to train not only sports leaders but also mentors. One of the fundamental principles of this project is individualization of the training process - the development of an individual trajectory for training of sports leaders with due regard to students' talents.

The project proposes the use of a mentoring system with the participation of instructors from among trainers-instructors and (or) specialists of the GTO Complex test centers. Two educational programs are planned to be implemented: for students and for mentors. The project implementation should lead to an increase in the share of citizens leading a healthy way of life and regularly engaged in physical education and sports activities, prevention of destructive behavior of adolescents, strengthening of the family institution and popularization of family values, expansion of opportunities for the use of active forms of leisure for the population.

Despite the fact that the Sports Leader Project is designed to improve the school physical education and sports service on the regional scale, its potential may be beneficial for contributing to much wider social progress initiatives. Success of the regional Sports Leader Project piloting initiative will make it possible to roll out the Project experience not only in the region but also across the Russian Federation.