Champions Challenge is a youth event consisting of demanding physical fitness tasks that challenge participants’ physical and mental toughness. Tasks comprise a combination of running, sprinting, lifting, hiking, carrying and climbing.

In preparing for and performing these tasks, youth develop valuable life skills such as goal setting and planning, resilience and working hard towards achieving goals, teamwork and cooperation, and leadership.  By developing these skills, youth perform better in their academic and career pathways, and learn how to become reponsible and successful adults.

Established in 2003, Champions Challenge is the creation of business strategist and coach, Ben M. Bartlett, and is part of his youth development work.

With Ben’s youth work he has taken the leadership development programs he uses for coaching and consulting with CEOs and other business leaders.  And he has adapted them to youth development.

Then, Ben has combined these programs with more than 30 years working with youth in a variety of roles including outdoor adventure instructor, scout leader, fitness trainer, church youth leader, life skills mentor and championship-winning sports coach.

One of the first Champions Challenges Ben created was called Tour de Clarks Beach, an 80km bike ride from Manukau city, South Auckland to Clarks Beach and back.  Most of the youth for that challenge did not own their own bikes, which were gifted and borrowed.

Other challenges have included:

• 20km hikes with youth carrying 20 kilogram back packs.
• Blindfolded forest and sand dune hikes.
• Mid-winter camps in tents in zero degree temperatures.
• Peak summer, midday 10-20 km runs.

Champions Challenge is also used as a youth fund raiser.  Youth completing the respective challenges obtain sponsors who reward them for their hard work and effort.

Youth defined? Youth is that period of one’s life between childhood and adulthood. In terms of age range, the United Nations defines a youth as aged 15-24, while New Zealand’s Ministry of Youth Development defines a youth as aged 12-24.

Youth is the age range where a lot of physical and mental development takes place.  As such then it is important that youth use this time to develop a full range of skills, including social, physical and mental skills.

Sport and fitness focus

Champions Challenge principally coaches youth via sport and fitness, which is a great teaching tool and a wonderful metaphor for life.  And, through sport and fitness youth learn valuable life skills that are part of the leadership skill set.

Why are life skills so important? According to UNESCO, “Life skills are a group of cognitive, personal and interpersonal abilities that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner.” (Source: UNESCO website).

As well as being great for developing personal leadership and life skills, sport and fitness is dynamic and multi-sensory, offers variety, builds health and fitness levels,  gets youth away from worldly pastimes and distractions, and suits multiple learning styles.  It’s a no-brainer really.

The Inspirations Behind Champions Challenge

There are three inspirations behind the development of Champions Challenge.

Firstly, Champions Challenge realises Ben’s passion for coaching youth to become champions of life. 

This passion is driven in part by Ben’s challenging upbringing, whereby mentors and coaches helped him to turn around a troubled childhood surrounded by family dysfunction, alcohol and drug abuse, crime and financial hardship.

The second inspiration is the famous quote:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”

Originally created in 1885 by novelist Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie, this quote firstly highlights the value and importance of a teacher or coach. That is, someone who teaches, coaches, mentors and helps another person to improve a skill.

Secondly, the quote highlights the value of the skill. In this instance the skill is fishing, but the reality is, you can replace the word fish with any high-value skill to get the full power and meaning of its original intent.

In Ben’s view “feeding people fish” in the form of charitable giving is only a short term fix that only addresses an immediate need.  Contrast that with “teaching people to fish”, which is more strategic, philanthropic and focuses on a long term solution.

And, the third inspiration is this old poem by Sadie Tiller Crawley:

At the Crossroads

He stood at the crossroads all alone, The sunlight in his face;
He had no thought for the path unknown, He was set for a manly race.
But the road stretched east and the road stretched west,
And he did not know which road was the best;
So he took the wrong road and it lead him down,
And he lost the race and the victor’s crown.
He was caught at last in an angry snare
Because no one stood at the crossroads there
To show him the better road.

Another day at the self-same place a boy with high hopes stood;
He, too, was set for a manly race; he was seeking the things that were good.
And one was there who the roads did know,
And that one showed him the way to go;
So he turned away from the road leading down,
And he won the race and the victor’s crown;
He walks today on the highways fair
Because one stood at the crossroads there
To show him a better road.

This poem highlights the importance of a guide or mentor, whose role it is to show youth the better road.

And the focus?  Again, the focus is on helping youth develop personal leadership and life skills.

For enquiries about Champions Challenge, please email ben (at) benmbartlett.com