Kids to learn life skills from Olympians and Paralympians

• Some of the best Olympians and Paralympians in the US will participate in “Heart of a Champion,” a new learning class to teach kids “right character and heart.”
• Olympic diver David Boudia, Paralympic swimmer Sophia Herzog, Track and field Olympian Allyson Felix, wheelchair rugby Paralympian Chuck Aoki, and beach volleyball Olympian April Ross will be among the speakers.
• Steve Mesler, Olympic gold medalist, believed that Olympians and Paralympians “are the most inspirational athletes.”

They say experience is the best teacher, but there’s also a merit in saying that experienced people are great trainers.

Take it from “Heart of a Champion,” a new learning series that will allow kids to hear stories about the importance of building life skills. They will acquire these from no other than America’s premier athletes, for free at ClassDojo.com/heart.

The learning opportunity has been possible with the partnerships of US Olympic and Paralympic teams with NBC Olympics, ClassDojo, and Classroom Champions.

“I look at the classroom and I think of my kids,” Olympic diver and dad of three David Boudia, 31, told PEOPLE on why he participated. “There’s no better way to bring them up and see mentors, than Olympians. I think Olympians encompass the right character and heart of what it means to be a human. And they have just a ton of endurance and they have to compete with integrity. And that’s what I want them to see — is that they can be just like these Olympians.”

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The four-time medalist will provide a lecture on focus, an area he masters through diving.

“You are jumping from a 10-meter platform or a three-meter springboard. And one of the hardest things to do is to set your mind off what you’re trying to accomplish,” Boudia explained.

He added that focus takes a core role in doing tasks, either as “an athlete or an everyday person.”

Besides Boudia, Paralympic swimmer Sophia Herzog — who won a silver medal at Rio in 2016 — will also be one of the program’s trainers. Herzog, who was born with a form of dwarfism, will cover diversity, which, for her, “strengthens and highlights different perspectives.”

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Herzog told PEOPLE, “Diversity strengthens your family, your classroom, your team, whatever you may be in.”

Track and field Olympian Allyson Felix, wheelchair rugby Paralympian Chuck Aoki, and beach volleyball Olympian April Ross will also take part in the program — respectively addressing courage, perseverance, and community.

Steve Mesler, Olympic gold medalist and chief executive officer of Classroom Champions, believed that Olympians and Paralympians “are the most inspirational athletes” who will help kids see their potential and teach them about perseverance.

He added: “Our partnership with NBC Olympics and ClassDojo is an exciting step in getting the right people in front of millions more kids struggling to find role models in today’s world.”

Source: PEOPLE.com