Indianapolis, Indiana: The Native American Recreation & Sport Institute (NARSI) offers the best youth recreation and sport directors and coaches training programs in America. The emphasis is on training adults to work with children ages 5 - 14 and the overall well-being of these youths. The emotional, physical, spiritual, and cultural development of the children is of prime concern. The classes are recommended for personnel of recreation, youth, drug elimination, housing, health, wellness, and health departments. Tribal Council Members who oversee these departments are encouraged to participate.
 

The origin of NARSI is rooted in the recreation directors education conference programs planned and produced by Judith G. Shepherd in Indianapolis in 1994 and 1995.  The ongoing development is due to the popularity and growth of those conferences.
 

Native American Youth Recreation and Sport Administration (NAYRSA) is appropriate for recreation administrators and directors, assistant directors, and financial officers of recreation departments. The session of Level I is a full eight hours of training. The fee includes an inclusive guide, textbooks, and meals. This is a program which gives details on the "how-tos" and the "whys" of each step necessary in the development and advancement of an excellent recreation department.  To be able to direct a recreation program, the administrator needs to know the details of the youth coach program of study, therefore, NARSI requires the administrators/directors to take the Native American Youth Recreation and Sport Coach classes (NAYRSC).
 

The NAYRSC classes for youth coaches are in-depth studies on coaching the young athlete, and how to deal with problem parents. By attending all of the conference sessions, a giant step towards the completion of the basic program of study will be achieved.  NARSI requires that every director and every coach complete a recognized First Aid Course and CPR training as part of the course of study.
 

NARSI also presents youth coach clinics for a variety of sports including basketball, lacrosse, golf, volleyball, baseball, softball, football, soccer, and others. The clinics are either in conjunction with the annual conference or a clinic can be arranged by contacting the ARREC office at 317-462-4245.
 

 

Indianapolis Mayoral Proclamation

 
 

 Numerous Tribes Enroll Members in NARSI

Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma Acoma Sky City School Colorado River Indian Tribes Forest County Potawatomi Community Jicarilla Apache Tribe Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Miccosukee Tribe of Florida Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Santa Clara White Mountain Apache Tribe Pueblo of Acoma Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Tohono O'odham Nation Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Yavapai-Apache Tribe

Oneida Indian Nation of New York Pueblo of Laguna Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Red Lake Ojibwe Reno Sparks Indian Colony Seminole Tribe of Florida Southern Ute Tribe  Turtle Mountain Chippewa Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Gila River Indian Community Mescalero Apache Tribe Navajo Nation Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma Duckwater Shoshone Tribe Havasupai Tribe

Classes include valuable information which can be easily translated into action by a program director or youth coach. It has been proven repeatedly that youth recreation is not a frill. It is an intregal part of the well-being of children including a child's self-esteem and physical fitness. The ability to present the community with well-trained personnel and volunteers to oversee the needs of the children translates into higher quality programs in a safer environment. It has been shown that departments which have well-trained leadership have a greater percentage of the children participating in organized, adult-supervised activities. The expenditures to enhance the knowledge of personnel working with children are a small expense in comparison to the costs of gang violence, alcohol and drug abuse, school drop-outs, teen suicide, diabetes, and other diseases.

   

Some of the Topics Covered in the Basic NARSI Curriculum

• Recreation Program Philosophy
• Coaching Objectives
• Sport Injuries & Injury Prevention
• Managing Risks
• Managing Finances
• Managing Events
• Skills and Drills
• Planning Practices
• Managing Parents
• Raising Funds
• Nine Basic Principles of Physical Training
Advance studies include:
 
• Stress Management
• Negotiations
• Time Management
• Correlation Between Recreation and Diabetes
• Advanced Event Planning and Fundraising
• Drugs and Sport
• Leadership Development
• Presentation Skills
• Principles of Coaching (a class for certification.)

 
The curriculum of the NARSI program is based in part on the program of the American Sport Education Program (ASEP). Judith G. Shepherd, Co-founder of ARREC and Founder of NARSI is a sanctioned instructor for ASEP. These studies are appropriate for any group of youth recreational sport volunteers. ASEP is the choice by many youth recreation and sport groups and organizations, over 200 colleges and universities, and military installations. Over 42 state high school athletic governing bodies present the Coaching Principles course for certification of coaches.

 

Photo provided by Memories in Time, Greenfield Indiana

Native American Indian Consultants David Bray - Iroqouis Nationals, Executive Director   Billy Mills - Lakota Sioux , Olympic 10K Gold Champion  Maurice "Mo" Smith - Navajo World-class Runner, NASC Sally Tuttle - Oklahoma Choctaw Nation   Rex Hailey  - Seminole Nation of Oklahoma

For Further Information Contact: Judith G. Shepherd NARSI Greenfield Office  116 West Osage  Greenfield, Indiana USA   46140  By Phone: (317) 462-4245  By Fax: 317-462-4245 (call first).  By Email: gramshep@netusa1.net

Please check out the links to a variety of companies which help to support ARREC and NARSI through the affiliate and associate programs.

"My 10 and under basketball team participated in the fund raising tees program and found it to be a big success. We raised over $600.00 in a short period of time. The T-shirts are great quality. We had positive compliments from our buyers. I would recommend this fund raising idea to all." Robert Abeyta Santa Clara Pueblo Braves Basketball A 2003-2004 Sponsor. Check with Danielle Brody at  800-926-6578 ext. 109 about fundraising opportunities.  Or email her at DanielleB@FundRaisingTees.com

#1 Source for Native American Sports News & Profiles!