Presidential Proclamation | National Fitness Foundation and AAU Partnership | US Department of Health & Human Services

This month the AAU is focusing on encouraging kids to get up and move, as well as educate them on the important role of physical fitness and sports in living a healthier life. There are so many benefits to being active beyond physical health, like overall mental health, life skills and friendship. According to a statistic released by the White House, “organized sports help our youth discover the importance of teamwork, social skills, hard work, determination, and the ability to overcome adversity.  Students who participate in sports have up to 40 percent higher test scores and are 15 percent more likely to attend college.”

Across the country, thousands of coaches, parents and teachers are helping to encourage children to take part in making a healthier life for themselves, and the AAU is proud to be joining that fight.

In March of 2018, the AAU announced a partnership with the National Fitness Foundation in becoming the first founding partner of the National Youth Sports Fund. The AAU, in conjunction with the NFF, will administer the Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP), a program aimed at modernizing fitness education in school physical education classrooms by emphasizing student health, goal setting, and personal progress.

The AAU also created the AAU Proud program in 2016. The program was formed to provide athletic opportunities in a controlled, non-competitive environment for children ages four to seven to promote self-confidence and a healthy, active lifestyle. Events are hosted all over the nation during championships, district tournaments or even as a fun field day.

If you have any questions or would like more information about how to host an AAU Proud event, contact: Joe Gura at jegura@roadrunner.com or Shannon Craighead at scraighead@aausports.org.