American Youth Football & Cheer Organization to Implement CrashCourse Content, Reaching Over 500,000 Young Athletes
The impact and reach of the American Youth Football & Cheer organization is undeniable. Each year, over 500,000 young athletes benefit from the AYF’s “Giving Back” initiative, as well as from their scholarships, tournaments, and other programming both in the United States and in several countries around the globe. TeachAids is proud to announce our new and cherished partnership with AYF, through which CrashCourse concussion awareness materials will be made available to all AYF members in an effort to build a safer future for brain health in youth athletics.
In light of the new partnership, AYF Founder and President Joe Galat commented on the integral role of football in American culture and on the potential that football has as a platform for concussion education. “If we want to keep the tradition of the sport alive, we need to start to educate our players from the moment they step onto the field.” Galat asserted that educating young athletes is a priority for AYF, saying, “At AYF, we believe proper training enriches the experience for players, competitors, and spectators alike. That is why we are proud to expand our concussion education programs by partnering with TeachAids to implement CrashCourse in the coming year.” He also stressed the urgency of this issue for youth, highlighting the importance of early intervention. “Given what we know about concussions today,” said Galat, “the younger we teach these athletes, the better.”
Included in the CrashCourse concussion education materials this year is a new virtual reality component and other expansions. Among these is a symptom simulator, in which students can learn to recognize the signs of a concussion through virtual reality and a 3D fly-through representation of the brain. Also included is a slew of interactive videos featuring beloved athletes like Bryce Love, Trenton Irwin and JJ Arecega-Whiteside from whom students can both gain inspiration and learn valuable information about brain health.
In addition to these novel features, the core of CrashCourse is filled with content sourced from medical professionals, student-athletes, coaches, and more, presented in a package tailored to the populations at risk. Ryan Burns, Product Manager at TeachAids and former quarterback for the Stanford football team summarizes the goal of CrashCourse and the importance of the AYF partnership: “Our research shows that students want to learn from someone relatable that has overcome similar challenges rather than from doctors, teachers, or coaches…the younger we instill these lessons in athletes, the sooner we can set a different precedent about how to address concussions moving forward.”
Matt Birk, 6 time Pro Bowl Selection and 2012 Super Bowl Champion with the Baltimore Ravens, corroborated Joe Galat’s comments, making clear the significant impact of AYF’s implementation of CrashCourse. Speaking about his work with youth, Birk commented, “I can say with confidence that CrashCourse is a monumental first step toward understanding concussions starting with society’s most important demographic. This program quite literally changes the game.”