UNST capstone project with Rugby oregon
MY experience
My time working with Rugby Oregon was filled with exposure to a number of things new to me. I was not familiar with the sport of rugby and wasn't sure how my service could provide unparalleled work. Ultimately I decided to work with Rugby Oregon as my community partner because of my positive personal experiences with sports in the past and how they were greatly influential in my character development.Due to COVID-19 RO had to cancel the 2020 season, however they are using this free time to update many outdated systems having to do with their social media account and their homepage. My specific responsibilities included creating a comprehensive content repository and social media calendar in a sharable platform, a directory of the content repository, and making recommendations for the foreseeable future. I was able to make recommendations that will lead to more interaction with a larger diversity and with a wider number of ages. Social media has the ability to connect communities in greater numbers, I was able to provide RO with updated methods that adhere to younger and more diverse individuals.
A little bit about rugby oregon
Jeff Arker founded the Rugby Oregon nonprofit organization in 1999, he is a retired rugby player and wanted to be able to introduce the game and its strong sense of sportsmanship to youth in Oregon communities. Sportsmanship and honoring the game are key elements of their culture, they strive to teach children life lessons through sports. USA Rugby proudly serves a diverse membership of players, coaches, officials and fans and is committed to creating and promoting a culture of inclusion and mutual respect, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, age, gender identity, disability or sexual orientation.
Why youth sports are important
Plan to action
My suggestions to promote greater interaction with Rugby Oregon's social media was to:
- Create posts containing alternative languages (Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, etc.)
- Obtain a Twitter, Snapchat, and possibly Tik Tok accounts to connect with younger audience
- Use humor in posts to promote sharing thus reaching more people
Reflection
Team sports are a luxury many kids don’t have access to, the rising cost of playing sports along with rising economic inequality is leaving many kids from low income communities unable to participate. I participated in many sports throughout high school and highly value the life lessons I learned along with the relationships I built. Children from low income communities often times don't get to experience participating in sports leaving them without opportunities to learn how to play in a team, build communication skills, create long lasting relationships, or without a way to use sports as an outlet. Even though I knew nothing about rugby or how to create a content repository, I am very appreciative of how welcoming and helpful they were with me. I learned valuable knowledge about the behind the scenes of managing multiple social media accounts for an organization and how much work goes into finding appropriate and engaging content. I am still in the process of working with Rugby Oregon and will hopefully continue work with them beyond this assignment.