Health & Safety Programs
NFL Play Safe! Health and Safety Series
In collaboration with leading national health organizations, the YFF has developed a unique youth football education kit designed to provide youth and high school football coaches, players and parents, with user-friendly, football-specific health and safety information. Each kit contains four books with comprehensive information on first aid, nutrition, strength and conditioning and psychological health.
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ATLAS and ATHENA
ATLAS and ATHENA are gender-specific, steroid and drug education programs that are proven to reduce health-harming behaviors in male and female high school athletes. These award-winning programs open relevant lines of communication between teammates, and distinguish ATLAS and ATHENA from related programs that incorporate adult lectures and scare tactics, which have proven to be ineffective. With a unique, interactive approach, ATLAS reduces the use of anabolic steroids, sports supplements, alcohol and other illicit drugs among male high school athletes, while ATHENA reduces disordered eating and body-shaping drug use in female high school athletes.
In 2007, the YFF partnered with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to implement the programs in high schools located in eight NFL team markets: Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins.
The NFL ATLAS & ATHENA Schools program consists of one full day of training for coaches and selected student athlete leaders to learn how to implement the ATLAS and ATHENA programs. During the sport season, ATLAS and ATHENA are incorporated into the usual team activities. Each 45-minute session (10 sessions for ATLAS and 8 sessions for ATHENA) is interactive and includes educational games, role-play and mock public service campaigns. The programs focus on the here and now, rather than the long-term harmful effects of substance use. Athletes learn how to achieve their goals using state-of-the-art sports nutrition and strength training, and develop skills to avoid adopting unhealthy behaviors.