The Parents' School in the BVB youth sector
This also entails intensive parental involvement in a focused learning atmosphere. Our Parents' School for U9 to U13 is a project aimed at actively and purposefully involving fathers and mothers in the process of footballing personality development. In workshops and seminars, we discuss common values and establish shared goals - always guided by mutual respect, sometimes provocatively, always constructively and on a professional level. We see ourselves not as interfering in parenting, but as advisors. Because we are part of the families and our approach is participatory.
No question: The Parents' School is an important component for further professionalization of our youth work and for fostering a constructive, respectful culture also on the sidelines.
With us, theory becomes lived practice.
Here's what's happening:
- For our coaches, regular training sessions on topics such as "Rhetoric and communication in the locker room", "Teambuilding", "Basics of personality development", "Preparation and conduct of perspective discussions", or "Elements of effective parent cooperation" are standard.
- But our talents are also continuously trained on topics such as: "Smart nutrition in the youth performance center", "Everyday heroes and action competence", "Fascination of social media", "90 minutes against right-wing extremism" or "Homophobia in football". It's also about our young players developing an attitude that corresponds to Borussia Dortmund's core values such as openness, tolerance, and diversity. In implementation, we also utilize new didactic approaches such as "Story Dealing", chaos games, or invite theater groups to participate. The approach is always direct, emotional, captivating, and geared towards individual learning experiences.
- We offer lectures and seminars at our partner clubs on site - with educational institutions, initiatives, and public youth welfare organizations. We engage in professional discussions in youth work, address current issues, and incorporate them into educational events.
- Our educational program "Over 18 with Perspective" is an offer to players who have completed their high school diploma or other educational qualifications and want to take advantage of further qualification opportunities alongside elite football. A coaching qualification with the FLVW, auditors at the Technical University of Dortmund, comprehensive vocational and financial advice, rhetoric and interview training, as well as measures to expand subjective action competence in everyday life provide personal development for a period of one year and prevent our players from sinking into the virtual world of Xbox and PlayStation!
- This selection of measures shows how the BVB Academy is lived and further developed by all participants. Proof of successful implementation is the certification of the youth performance center, which has been awarded three stars since 2015.
BVB achieved excellence in the following areas:
- Strategy & Finance
- Organization & Procedures
- Football Training & Evaluation
- Support & Education
- Personnel
- Communication & Cooperation
- Infrastructure & Equipment
- Effectiveness & Permeability each achieve an "excellent result.
For us, this is reason enough and motivation to consistently continue on the path we have taken, but also in the future to always keep an eye out for new paths, away from the beaten ones, which promise exciting approaches and perspectives for the footballing and character development of our top talents.