Conference History

The teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model was developed by Don Hellison. It uses sport and physical activity to promote positive values, teach life skills and promote positive social change. The TPSR Alliance is a community of practice committed to promoting the TPSR model. Our goal is to better serve children and youth, the adults who support them and the communities in which they live.

Since 2011, the TPSR Alliance has held an annual conference for practitioners, program administrators, professors and university students to share ideas and build relationships. The conference is a space where school, community and university partners can come together to help one another improve their practice. It's our hope that participants are inspired to continue sharing and learning long after the conference ends.

Virtual Conference

After the 2020 conference was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to plan a virtual conference for 2021. The Physical Activity and Life Skills (PALS) Group offered to organize and host the conference free of charge. We decided the theme would be "teaching personal and social responsibility in challenging times," due to the shared experience of the pandemic, social reckoning around racial injustice, deep political divisions and other social concerns.

The online format made it possible for more people to get involved. In previous years, there was a small number of attendees, and most were professors or graduate students with access to travel funds. In 2021 and 2022, people from more than 30 different countries participated and nearly half of those were practitioners (physical education teachers, coaches, youth workers, etc.).