The Impact

Since its founding, the InSideOut Initiative has been proud to partner with 20 NFL markets across 17 states, working with school communities to create transformational change in interscholastic athletics across the country.

The InSideOut Initiative is not a program, it is an evidence-based, multi-year partnership that aligns school communities around the educational and prosocial value of Purpose-Based Sports by:

  •       Connecting Student Athletes to Transformational Coaches
  •       In a Culture of Belonging
  •       For their Social-Emotional, Character Development.

The InSideOut Initiative develops the Five Competencies of Transformational Leaders and Coaches; self-awareness, self-management, relational development, social awareness, moral and ethical decision-making, equipping them with the skills and resources necessary to positively impact the social-emotional, character of their student-athletes.

InSideOut States

View the map to find the NFL teams partnering with the InSideOut Initiative.

Click on a state for details
  • Phase 1
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3
  • Phase 4
  • Implemented
  • Longitudinal Study

Reports

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The Faces project seeks to profile and feature transformational leaders—individuals living the InSideOut Philosophy and implementing the InSideOut System in their daily interactions. The project serves two primary purposes: To highlight the great work being done by transformational leaders, and to help aspiring leaders develop best practices and find ways to apply key strategies in their own school communities.

Profiles

Harrison High School

West Lafayette, IN

Jerry Galema

95 Coaches | 950 Student Athletes
I have seen changes in our coaches — sideline decorum, leading their team in team meetings after a loss has been different.”
- Jerry Galema
Five Step Impact Graphic

Teach the Goals and Purpose Common Language

Jerry Galema from Harrison High School and Ryan Walden from McCutchen HS met with the school board to share what they are doing with the InSideOut Intiative. The school board was very intrigued with how much the two ADs have accomplished thus far and are 100% supportive. A week after the meeting, one of Jerry’s teams was defeated in a high school tournament. The superintendent was there and came up to Jerry after the game saying, “you got beat, but the other team’s coach seems very transactional.”

Create a Collective Transformational Purpose Statement

Jerry hosted meetings for all of his coaches to work together on developing a collective transformational purpose statement. The coaches picked the core values that they wanted to use and used the artistic skills of some of their coaches to develop an acronym and design for the collective transformational purpose statement that is centered around Harrison High School’s logo.

Currey Ingram Academy

Brentwood, TN

Kelly Fish

20 Coaches | 41 Student Athletes
I love the tangible takeaways of InSideOut. One specific strategy I brought back was having my coaches create leadership purpose statements. Our collective goal is to memorize them and live by them.”
- Kelly Fish
Five Step Impact Graphic

Lead coaches through the development of Individual Transformational Purpose Statements

Kelly used ISOI’s “Why Do I Lead?” worksheet to lead all of her coaches through the process of creating their own individual transformational purpose statements. Kelly explained, “Our goal was to each have a purpose statement that we could memorize and live by.”

Create a Collective Transformational Purpose Statement

A collective transformational purpose statement is being developed within Currey Ingram Academy’s athletic program and will be used to revamp the program’s mission statement.

Northfield High School

Northfield, MN

Joel Olson

132 Coaches | 965 Student Athletes
Don’t be afraid to not know the answer and don’t run away from the hard decisions. They never get easier, but always think about “What is our purpose?" When you can go to bed at night knowing that you made the right decision because it was in the best interest of the kids in our program you know you are living out of your purpose.”
- Joel Olson
Five Step Impact Graphic

Collectively Define Success

At Northfield High School, coaches participate in a mid-season meeting to review how they’re doing according to their collective transformational purpose statement. The coaches then have a postseason meeting to tie it all together. Every Friday, Joel sends a Google survey to every in-season head coach. This Google survey includes five questions: 1. What is going well? 2. What is not going well? 3. Are there any kids you want to highlight? 4. How are you doing? 5. Is there something I need to look into for you?

Create a Coach’s Job Description based on the Definition of Success

Joel embedded the four ISOI key questions into interviews for new hires. It allows him to learn more about a potential coach’s background, why they want to be a coach at his school, what they value most about coaching, how they coach the whole person, and what are the top three things they would communicate with parents and athletes if they got the job. Joel and his interview team take this information to determine if a coach is a good fit for their program and amongst their colleagues.

Share Your Journey

To be highlighted in the Faces publication, please fill out this form.

From the field

Todd Vesely
Executive Director Athletic Department, Fort Worth Independent School District
The InSideOut Initiative is a vital tool in helping our organization help young people. The purpose of athletics is to develop young people, to enhance their life experience and to give them opportunities that they would have never had without athletics. The Initiative guides and supports this quest. InSideOut has made a difference, a powerful difference in our coaches, our students and our entire organization. Special thanks to the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL Foundation for their support to FWISD Athletics.
Josh Corey
Football Outreach and Community Relations Manager, Tennessee Titans
Implementing the InSideOut Initiative had been very beneficial in our state by bringing educational stakeholders together to start the conversation on how to change the culture of interscholastic athletics. We have been very encouraged and impressed at the level of support and buy-in from school superintendents, school boards, administrators, athletic directors and coaches across Tennessee. The stage is set for us to bring meaningful, impactful and sustainable change that will aid in the growth and development of student-athletes throughout our state.
Dr. Billy Haun
Executive Director, Virginia High School League
The InSideOut Initiative is having a tremendous impact on the lives of student-athletes in Virginia. Our collaboration with the Virginia School Board Association, the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, and the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals and the partnership with the Washington Football Team has been critical in helping foster purpose-based athletics programs that support the social-emotional and character development of our more than 190,000 participants.

InsideOut Best Practices

To celebrate the work being done by InSideOut partners, we highlight their values-based leadership and culture-changing efforts here on the blog.