OTTY Method #2 – The fundamental role of the sports youth worker and rational decision making

The OTTY partnership is proud to present the release of OTTY Method #2: “The fundamental role of the sports youth worker and rational decision making”, the second publication developed within the Erasmus+ Sport project OTTY – Only Thanks To You.

Following the first method, which explored the roots of doping in adolescence and the main risk factors behind it, this second publication focuses on one of the most important figures in prevention: the sports youth worker. More than a trainer or instructor, this person can become a guide, a trusted adult, and a daily point of reference for young people navigating pressure, insecurity, and difficult choices.

A key figure in prevention

OTTY Method #2 highlights a simple but crucial idea: doping prevention does not begin only with rules, sanctions, or information campaigns. It begins in relationships.

Young people are more likely to make healthy and responsible choices when they are surrounded by adults who can listen, understand, and guide them. In this sense, the sports youth worker plays a central role. Unlike a traditional coach focused mainly on performance, the youth worker looks at the adolescent as a whole person — with emotions, doubts, vulnerabilities, and potential.

The publication explains how sport can become much more than a place of training. It can become a real educational environment where young people learn to face pressure, deal with frustration, understand themselves, and make choices that respect their health and well-being.

Supporting growth beyond performance

A central message of this method is that adolescents do not only need technical guidance: they also need emotional support, recognition, and safe spaces where they feel seen and respected.

OTTY Method #2 explores the educational function of the youth worker in depth, showing how active listening, empathy, and attention to early signs of discomfort can make a real difference. Young people rarely speak openly about risky behaviours or inner struggles. Often, the first signs are indirect: insecurity, withdrawal, obsession with appearance, mood changes, or excessive pressure linked to performance.

For this reason, the youth worker is presented not only as an educator, but also as someone able to notice vulnerability and offer healthier alternatives. Prevention, in this sense, is not about simply saying “don’t dope”, but about helping young people understand that there are other ways to grow, improve, and achieve results.

Rational decision making in adolescence

One of the most interesting aspects of this publication is its focus on decision making. Adolescence is a stage of life in which emotions, impulsiveness, and the desire for approval can strongly influence behaviour. Even when young people know what is right in theory, they may still struggle to make thoughtful choices in practice.

OTTY Method #2 explains that rational decision making is not automatic: it is a skill that must be trained. This is where the sports youth worker becomes essential. By helping adolescents slow down, reflect, evaluate consequences, and consider long-term outcomes, youth workers can support the development of a more conscious and responsible mindset.

The publication presents this process in a very accessible way, showing that prevention is also about teaching young people how to think — not only what to think. When sport becomes a space where reflection is encouraged, adolescents are better equipped to resist shortcuts and external pressure.

The power of positive role models

Another key theme of the method is the role of the youth worker as a positive role model. Young people learn not only through words, but also through observation. They notice contradictions, attitudes, and behaviours. This is why consistency matters.

The publication stresses that youth workers do not need to appear perfect. What matters is being authentic, coherent, and credible. A youth worker who values effort over immediate results, who accepts mistakes as part of growth, and who communicates respect and balance through everyday actions offers a strong alternative to the culture of shortcuts.

In this way, prevention becomes something lived and embodied — not just explained.

Practical tools for everyday work

Alongside reflection, OTTY Method #2 also offers practical inspiration for those working directly with young people in sport. The publication presents tools that can help adolescents build critical thinking and make informed decisions in real-life situations.

These include guided dialogues, teamwork activities, testimonials, scenario analysis, creative tools such as videos or posters, and peer education approaches. What these methods have in common is that they actively involve young people, encouraging them to reflect, participate, and become protagonists in their own learning process.

This practical dimension makes the method especially useful for youth workers, coaches, and educators looking for ways to turn anti-doping prevention into something concrete, engaging, and relevant.

Sport as a space for freedom and responsibility

At its core, OTTY Method #2 reminds us that sport can be a powerful place of growth when it is guided by the right values. It can teach young people much more than technique or competition: it can help them build self-awareness, resilience, autonomy, and integrity.

The figure of the sports youth worker becomes essential in this vision. Not as a secondary support role, but as a central educational presence able to shape the culture of sport from within.

By focusing on trust, rational decision making, and authentic role modelling, this second OTTY publication reinforces the idea that prevention is most effective when it is part of everyday life — in training sessions, conversations, relationships, and shared experiences.

Read and share

OTTY Method #2 – The fundamental role of the sports youth worker and rational decision making is now available for free on the official project website:👉 www.oltrenetworklab.com/otty

Through this second publication, the OTTY partners continue promoting a vision of sport that puts young people first — not only as athletes, but as people who deserve support, guidance, and the tools to choose integrity over shortcuts.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.