Sammy D Foundation and Baseball SA hit a home run against bullying
The Sammy D Foundation and Baseball SA are proud to announce a new partnership for the 2020/21 Baseball SA season, which will see The Sammy D Foundation deliver its ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’ program to all 14 metropolitan Baseball SA clubs.
The ‘Monkey See Monkey Do’ program is a 120-minute session delivered by Sammy D Foundation facilitators focused on changing players attitudes toward bullying and violence, and educating parents and club members about the impacts of inappropriate sideline behaviours.
Made possible through the support of Baseball SA, South Australian Department of Education, Sport SA and ANSVAR Insurance, players and parents from Baseball SA’s 14 metropolitan clubs will hear from Sammy D Foundation trained facilitators, including Founder Neil Davis who will discuss and examine the characteristics and consequences of bullying and violence, explored through his personal story of losing his son Sam Davis, who was tragically killed as a result of a violent and unprovoked one-punch assault.
Following the delivery of Sam’s Story, Sammy D Foundation educators work with groups of players to explore the impacts of bullying and violence in greater detail, while senior players, parents and club officials look at the impacts of negative sideline behaviours and their influences.
Sammy D Foundation General Manager Brigid Koenig said that they were excited to visit all Baseball SA clubs over the coming 6 months
“We are excited about the opportunity of working alongside Baseball SA to assist in reinforcing what it means to have a healthy club culture.”
“We know this program is effective, with 98% of participants reporting that they felt confident in making safe and positive choices and 89% reporting they did not get involved in a violent situation because of the information they were given.”
“Parents, coaches and club officials in this program have identified that the key messages taken from the presentation were an asset in reinforcing positive role modelling and encouraging positive sportsmanship and engagement, with 98% of parents believing the program is helping to assist with reducing negative spectator behaviour”.
Baseball SA General Manager, Sarah Kelly, said that partnering with the Sammy D Foundation for the 2020/21 season was a great opportunity for the organisation to become a cultural leader and drive real behaviour change on and off the field.
“The work that the Sammy D Foundation is doing to bring awareness of a range of social issues to all sporting clubs is outstanding and we are looking forward to educating all our Baseball SA members on bullying and violence prevention.
“This program will be instrumental in ensuring that our community members support one another and call out poor behaviour both on and off the field. We as a community will work toward stamping out negative behaviours and show our members that they have a voice and they can make a difference”
For further information and details on the Sammy D Foundation programs:
www.sammydfoundation.org.au
For further information on Baseball SA and their current season:
www.baseballsa.com.au
For media or interview enquires please contact:
Leigh McGrane – 0438 699 795 – leigh@atgpublicity.com.au