AASP Student Membership Mission & Goals

Student Mission Statement

It is our belief that students are the lifeblood of AASP and as such we play a pivotal role in the growth, creativity, vitality, and success of the organization both now and in the future. The student mission of AASP is (a) to learn about the field of sport and exercise psychology from the veteran professionals within the organization, (b) to work with other students and professionals to create a positive and recognizable reputation for the organization through increasing knowledge in the literature and offering constructive services for athletes and performers, (c) to continue to improve the organization from the inside out through initiatives that promote AASP, relay information to the general population about sport and exercise psychology, and help increase and retain members by offering networking opportunities for both business and social outlets, and (d) to continue to increase the diversity within the organization and continue to learn about how cultural and social differences affect sport and performance. As student members of the organization graduate and become professional members of AASP, the organization will continue to thrive and improve the public’s awareness of sport and exercise psychology and its positive outcomes for all levels of athletes and other performers.

Student Goals

• To promote a positive image of AASP to athletes, performers, and the general public through publishing scientifically based literature, providing applied services, and offering educational presentations and information about sport and exercise psychology.
• To recruit and retain new professional and student members to increase the pool from which AASP members can learn and network.
• To learn the inner workings of the organization in order to step into leadership positions from student representative positions, special interest group members, and later professional leadership positions within AASP.
• To continue establishing new student initiatives that will better the organization as a whole and to work with and enhance the current student initiatives.
• To learn and continue to absorb knowledge from professionals and other student members’ experiences through networking with fellow members and consistent attendance at regional and national conferences.
• To enhance the integration of psychology and kinesiology within the field through networking and joining forces in working on projects to promote the field of sport and exercise psychology as well as AASP as an organization.

Specific Goals for 2012-2013

We, Leeja Carter and Alicia Johnson, have set three goals for the year that will guide our focus, including:

1) Maintain and continue to strengthen communication and transparency within the student membership.

2) Explore new opportunities to increase the value of student membership.

3) Explore outreach opportunities to new populations globally.

These goals fit within AASP’s strategic plan. The first goal regarding communication and transparency is something we will strive for throughout our term. We plan on keeping communication with the leaders of student initiatives and the regional representatives strong in order to help us achieve this goal. The other two goals are exploratory in natures so we have not further defined them at this time. We have preliminary ideas but are also open to hearing ideas from other students!