Why "Ven"?
"Ven" is core of the word "vein" - and the goal of Ven is to help people keep returning to a place of wellness and balance.
The multiple experiences of life's adventure shape and form us, and the goal is to keep moving toward our best selves, to the core of who we are and want to be.
Ven U: supporting the wellness of College Athletes
If you follow college athletics, you know the stressors and struggles that college athletes face.
The goal of Ven U is to help student-athletes learn skills and tools to navigate their lives.
Athletes understand the value of small gains, and a trajectory toward improvement. Goals and PRs are a part of every sport and training program.
A golfer doesn’t think their average can immediately go from 80 to 72. They know certain aspects of their game need to be focused on.
A runner doesn’t expect to go from a 4:18 to a 3:59 within a week.
A basketball player doesn’t think their 3 point shooting percentage will leap significantly without practice.
And this concept can be used across all sports.
Our goal is to help student-athletes keep making small goals toward improving life-balance and mental health - done by charting a course, doing exercises, and developing skills. If "life health" is at a 6.8 on a 10 point scale, what could be done to help move them to a 7.0? And when at a 7.0, what could be done to help move to a 7.2? Etc.
The dream is multi-faceted, with a goal to…
- help college athletic departments implement curriculum and resources to support the mental health of their athletes
- present in-person seminars to teams and coaching staffs on a variety of wellness topics, leading to participation in regular wellness gatherings - online and in person
- develop online programs that countless students could tap into at the same time, where professional and well-known athletes share their mental-health stories, and provide encouragement and resources
- have trained facilitators who can do small group work online
- produce online lessons and learning opportunities
- run summer sports camps for 12-18 year olds that also has an emphasis on mental wellness, staffed by college athletes who have been trained as leaders and wellness facilitators
And there is much more that can be done...
- create programs that incentivise involvement, whether competition between teams in a particular school, or between schools in particular conferences
- mentor student leaders in each school, and on each team, so access and support is nearby
- educate coaches on needs of students, and an understanding of mental health
- partner with profession sports teams, sporting goods companies, apparel companies, and other companies that students use, to have prizes available to athletes who complete various curriculums and trainings
- have service opportunities for athletes, where they have exposure to developing countries, doing building projects and outreach, while leading sports clinics and teaching mental health tools
VENZ.XYz
venz.xyz is being created to empower young people (13-18 years old), to live into the complicated, exciting, and sometimes overwhelming parts of life.
A web and social media presence will provide:
- Interactive wellness and emotional fitness resources, addressing a variety of teaching and learning styles
- Development of self-understanding, and an appreciation of personal gifts and interests
- Discernment activities to guide college and career decisions
- Confidence building through challenge and successes
- Development of character and empathy
- Exposure through story-telling and service opportunities
- Space for creativity, play, community, and laughter
Information, material, and lessons will be delivered with short films, talks from experts and known entities (celebrities, musicians, etc.), videos, interactive presentations, and testimonials from other teens.
*Think what it would look like if Khan Academy, SAT prep classes, TED Talks, and TikTok videos had a baby...
Golf & MAKE CHANGE
Golf trip / Fundraisers / Community Building
to to support the work of Ven (and BeWellPartners
Lots of great golf, food, and drink - and a couple speakers and topics.
And so that everyone in attendance has a great time, we have adopted
Guiding principles...
*Laughter should be abundant
*Welcome and acceptance is the norm
*No blowhards and/or braggarts *All competition is friendly
*You believe in the importance of helping others, no matter your political leanings *It's okay that your life isn't perfect
*The only pitches should be the kind that occur around the greens *You want to keep making positive changes in yourself,
and the world
For guys who are willing to be open and honest, and who have left transparent conversations with the thought:
“I wish there were more chances to engage like this.”
VIRTUAL interest and community GROUPS
In partnership with the company HandzIn, we will offer live evening presentations with a speaker/interview/panel. Groups of friends will then be able to meet in their own specific chatrooms (at a person's invitation) with discussion prompts and conversation ideas - which can be used, or not used, at the group's discretion.