AuguryNDUR Comes Back to Boston to Help High School Athletes Build Mental Strength
This article was written by the Augury Times
A renewed partnership that puts student well-being first
NDUR for Athletes returned to Boston Public Schools for a second year this fall, bringing a school-based program that mixes mental health tools with sports coaching. The program runs at four Boston high schools and aims to give young athletes simple skills they can use on the field and in life.
Organizers say the focus is practical: teach students how to manage stress, improve focus, and build routines that support both schoolwork and athletic performance. For students and coaches, that shift from pure skill work to mental and emotional fitness is what makes the program feel different this year.
How the program works across four high schools
NDUR’s curriculum is designed to fit inside the school day and the sports season. Coaches and NDUR facilitators lead weekly sessions during practice blocks and some classroom periods. Sessions mix short lessons, guided exercises, and team conversations so the work feels like part of training rather than extra homework.
The program covers a few steady themes: basic breathing and focus drills, routines for sleep and recovery, ways to handle pressure before games, and simple check-ins that help teammates notice when someone is struggling. Materials are built to be low-tech and repeatable, so schools can keep them going after the semester ends.
NDUR staff run the sessions alongside school athletic staff and school counselors. That joint approach means athletes get both a coach’s view on performance and a counselor’s view on health. Sessions are held at four Boston high schools this semester, with facilitators visiting each school every week and extra workshops scheduled during busy parts of the season.
People on the ground: who’s involved and what they say
Michael Carter-Williams, the former NBA guard who helped start NDUR for Athletes, has been visible at sessions and community events. He frames the program plainly: it’s about giving young people tools that help when life gets noisy.
“We want athletes to leave a game knowing how to calm their mind and return to class ready to learn,” Carter-Williams said.
School staff describe the tone as practical and steady. One athletic director noted that the program helps coaches talk about mental health in a way athletes accept because it’s tied to performance. Students have echoed that view, saying the sessions feel useful rather than preachy.
“It helped me sleep better before games and not think about mistakes the whole night,” a junior on a varsity team said.
Early signs of impact — and what still needs measuring
Participation has been steady across the four schools, with most teams taking part during their season. Coaches report stronger pre-game routines and more calm during tight moments in games. Counselors and teachers have noticed some students showing up more on days they used program techniques.
Hard numbers are still limited. The program is new enough that measurable outcomes — like attendance changes, grade shifts, or clinical mental-health measures — are preliminary. Organizers say they are collecting feedback and simple attendance and participation logs, but they caution it’s too early to claim big, easily quantifiable gains.
That mix of positive anecdotes and limited formal data is common for programs at this stage: real-world change is visible to people involved, but rigorous measurement takes time and resources.
Season finale at Dick’s House of Sport brought the community together
The semester wrapped with a community event at Dick’s House of Sport. The gathering mixed demonstrations, short workshops, and informal conversation so families could see what students had practiced all term. It also gave athletes a moment to showcase mental routines and talk about what the sessions meant to them.
Local coaches, parents, and school staff turned up to celebrate. For students, the finale felt like a public nod to the work they’d put in — a pause to recognize small, steady improvements in confidence and focus.
Where this partnership could go next
NDUR and Boston Public Schools say they want to expand the model if funding and staff capacity allow. The program’s low-tech, repeatable design makes it easier to scale, but growth will depend on continued buy-in from schools and the ability to track impact more clearly.
For now, the return to Boston is a second-year proof point: a practical program that sits at the border of sports coaching and student wellness, and a local experiment in teaching young athletes how to take care of their minds as well as their bodies.
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
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