The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference announces a 2015-16 social media campaign focusing on the importance of the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative and its five core values.
The campaign comes after a discussion regarding sideline behavior of student-athletes and coaches, and how to hold everyone accountable for actions on and off the field or court. The conference has encouraged each of its member institutions to nominate student-athletes and/or coaches they feel would be good ambassadors.
“The KCAC strongly affirms NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative,” Dr. Karol Hunt, KCAC Champions of Character Chair said. “Each of the 12 member institutions enroll many student-athletes who live up to the ideals of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. It is important to recognize athletes who live out one or more of these Champions of Character core values during practice and competition as well as on campus and in the community.”
Images will be posted on the conference’s Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts each Thursday. The KCAC brought forth this idea to student-athletes in attendance at the 2015 Sport Management Conference and Champions of Character Summit, held at Tabor College on August 4. The student-athletes who decided to pledge participation were able to choose which of the five core values was most important to them and would be incorporated into the social media graphics released by the conference office.
“The Champions of Character social media campaign from the KCAC is fantastic,” Kristin Gillette, NAIA Champions of Character Director said. “The KCAC found a way to spotlight their students and sports with a consistent message specific to character. We hope other conferences will join in on the conversation.”
Join in on the conversation and look for the following hashtags: #SayYesToRespect, #SayYesToIntegrity, #SayYesToResponsibility, #SayYesToSportsmanship, and #SayYesToServantLeadership.
Student-athletes and coaches who are interested in being an ambassador, please fill out this form and send it to Kelli Hamman.
About NAIA Champions of Character
The Champions of Character program helps participants find the balance by keeping five core values – integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership – at the heart of the athletics experience. Students learn to understand how the values play out in both practice and competition. Coaches are taught how to intentionally define, model, shape and reinforce the values through their coaching and mentoring. Parents learn how their behavior is key to supporting their athletes. For more than a decade, Champions of Character has been making a difference in developing athletes, coaches and parents of character.
About IMA
IMA is the 10th largest independently owned retail insurance broker in the U.S., offering risk management and insurance services. Founded in 1974, IMA has nearly 650 employees in offices throughout the central U.S.
