The topic of the day was, appropriately enough, confidence and self-efficacy. In other words, Associate Professor Jenn Jacobs told her students in KNPE 310: Psychological Aspects of Sport and Exercise, the power of the mind. Or, she clarified, the perception of one’s
Read moreProject FLEX changes lives, outlooks beyond participants in youth facilities
Kenneth Riley Jr. went behind the walls of the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles to impart his passion for fitness and exercise. But what the NIU College of Education graduate student discovered inside the juvenile medium-security facility has changed him as
Read moreProject FLEX 3.0 begins, ready to grow
COVID-19 has proven no match for Project FLEX. It’s true that when the pandemic arrived in the spring, the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KNPE) did suspend its initiative that provide in-person, structured physical activity to young men incarcerated at the
Read moreSwole Patrol: KNPE’s Project FLEX adds earned privilege of 1:1 personal training
Swole – think “swollen” – is a hip way to compliment jocks on their muscles. Urban Dictionary defines swole as “a paragon of hypermasculinity, manifesting in the physical and attitudinal embodiment of strength, occupying space with intimidating quantity and developing rippling musculature
Read moreProject FLEX culminates in campus visit for young men who glimpse opportunity
They seem like any other college students. Young. Comfortably dressed. High school graduates. Eager to participate. Curious about GPAs and friends, part-time jobs and time management. Interested in earning college degrees to pursue careers in coaching, law enforcement and music. But these
Read moreIllinois Youth Center speaker to discuss ‘Flexing Behind Bars’ of juvenile detention
In the six months since Project FLEX began delivering physical education and leadership training to young men incarcerated in the Illinois Youth Center of St. Charles, many eyes have been opened. Jenn Jacobs and Zach Wahl-Alexander, professors in the NIU Department of
Read moreKNPE professors, grad student launch Project FLEX inside Illinois Youth Center
Opened in December 1904, the 120-acre Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles can hold 348 juvenile males in its Level 2 medium-security facility. The average daily population of 138 represents about 40 percent of that capacity. The average age is 17. Those
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