Athlete Safety Matters
Every young athlete deserves to feel safe, supported, and confident. Athlete Safety Matters® helps youth in grades K–12 recognize unsafe situations, understand personal boundaries, and speak up about concerns, on and off the field.
Features
Age Level
Grades K-12
Duration
Four (4) 30-minute sessions
or
Two (2) one-hour sessions
Instruction
In Person, Interactive
About the Lesson
Athlete Safety Matters (ASM) is a youth sports safety education program developed by the Monique Burr Foundation for Children and facilitated by Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center. Designed for schools, athletic teams, and youth sports organizations, the program addresses hazing, bullying, child abuse prevention, digital safety, and exploitation through engaging, age-appropriate lessons.
Young athletes learn to recognize unsafe situations, understand personal boundaries, and seek help from safe adults. Lessons address the unique dynamics of youth sports, including pressure from teammates, coach-athlete relationships, and interactions with authority figures. The program reinforces that every athlete deserves respect and that harmful behavior should never be a condition of belonging to a team.
Safety Education Built for Youth Sports
Athlete Safety Matters complements Mission Kids’ school-based Child Safety Matters program by bringing prevention education into the sports environment. Athletes build practical safety skills they can use during practices, competitions, team activities, and online interactions.
Mission Kids delivers the program in small groups, with lessons tailored to four grade levels: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Smaller teams may participate together within appropriate grade-level groups. Schools and organizations can choose four 30-minute sessions or two 1-hour sessions.
Putting Prevention Into Practice
Mission Kids is partnering with Cheltenham High School to bring Athlete Safety Matters to every high school sports team through four 30-minute sessions. This partnership extends prevention education beyond the classroom and helps build a shared commitment to athlete safety across the school’s sports community.
Why We Love It
- Addresses hazing directly. Helps athletes recognize hazing and bullying, understand harmful team pressures, and know when to seek help.
- Builds confidence around boundaries. Reinforces each athlete’s right to personal boundaries with teammates, coaches, and other authority figures.
- Makes safety skills practical. Connects child abuse prevention and digital safety to situations young athletes may encounter on and off the field.
- Meets athletes where they are. Uses interactive, age-appropriate lessons and small-group learning for students in grades K–12.
- Supports safer team cultures. Encourages respect, open communication, and help-seeking while complementing school-based prevention education.
Bring Athlete Safety Matters to your school.
Carly Morris
Community Prevention Education Supervisor
