The protection of young athletes is a primary concern of every youth sports organization. This includes everything from buying the right equipment to training coaches on how to safeguard against concussions and heat stroke.
 
It also includes protecting our athletes from those who would take advantage of their position as coach to sexually abuse children.
 
This topic will be explored in “Blowing the Whistle on Child Sexual Abuse,” one of several sessions on tap at the National Alliance for Youth Sports’ (NAYS) upcoming Youth Sports Congress. This year’s event, held in conjunction with the Athletic Business Conference & Expo, will take place on Nov. 28-Dec. 1 in New Orleans, La., at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The session will be conducted by Laurie Nathan, Manager of National Outreach and Partnerships for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
 
In this session, administrators, coaches and volunteers will receive a comprehensive overview of child sexual abuse, including how it can be identified and avoided. They will also be provided with resources to help them communicate with their athletes’ parents about this important and sensitive topic.
 
Attendees of this session will learn how to:             

• Recognize child sexual abuse and identify some of the tactics used by child predators
• Assess their program’s child abuse prevention efforts and strengthen areas of weakness
• Communicate more comfortably with parents about this important issue

Nathan brings with her a background in child exploitation and child abuse prevention to the fight against child endangerment. She has analyzed Internet-related child exploitation cases and worked closely with law enforcement to have them resolved while working as a staff analyst in the Exploited Child Division at NCMEC. As the Director of Programs at Prevent Child Abuse she focused on child abuse prevention outreach campaigns for the Washington, D.C. area.
 
Other Congress sessions on tap will address emergency action plans; maintaining competitive balance; managing outside user groups to ensure they abide by the agency’s philosophy and policies; dealing with good parents that go bad and lose control at youth athletic events; learning about free tools, applications and programs to enhance productivity and marketing; and the role of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in ensuring equal opportunities for all kids.
 
There will also be an interactive session in which the five Excellence in Youth Sports Award winners as well as NAYS’ Coach and Parent of the Year recipients will share their insights in a question and answer panel session.
 
The Congress is a preferred venue for all professionals involved in youth sports. Attendees have the opportunity to gain knowledge, share experiences and network with more than 300 attendees from throughout the world.
 
To register click HERE.