Balance 180 Gymnastics And Sports Academy

Training Activities - Our programs involve a large number of volunteers and there are a variety of volunteer opportunities as well as internships. The majority of volunteers work directly with the children enrolled in our sports programs, assisting children with disabilities. 90% of the volunteers consist of university students and all of them receive training. Prior to the start of a session, two training classes (120 minutes) are organized and volunteers are educated on how to adapt activities to a childs ability, create progressions, handle behavioral issues, provide encouragement and positive feedback, and handle specific disabilities. In addition, all volunteers receive hands-on training, which is provided by volunteer physical and occupational therapists, and educators. Since starting the programs in June 2012, training has been provided to over 2,500 volunteers. All training activities are free of charge and volunteers are not provided any compensation

Public Education/Awareness - We have implemented multiple strategies to educate the community and disseeminate health information in regard to sports in children. The cornerstone of our public health education on sports in children with disability is organized around the Adaptive Gymnastics Recreational Program. We also organize gym wide events several times a year that showcases all of our athletes and focuses on integration of all children. Students, parents, volunteers, family and members of the general community are invited via email, listservs, personal invitations and Facebook announcements to our events. The Special Olympics events includes key note presentations by prominent disability advocates, Special Olympics representatives, and prominent members of the community with significant visibility. The goal of these events is to give our athletes the opportunity to showcase their newly learned skills and raise awareness about two important concepts: 1) the