“Let Children Be Children”: Coach Zbigniew Raubo on the Role of Sports in Suicide Prevention

August 22 2025

In the latest episode of the “I’m Still Here” podcast, coach Zbigniew Raubo talks about how sports can transform the lives of young people – from those still searching for their own path to accomplished athletes.

We discuss how:

sports provide purpose and teach humility,
training oxygenates the brain and supports mental health,
today’s youth lack physical activity and natural outlets for their emotions,
a coach is both an authority figure and a source of support for athletes,
substance use disrupts development and takes away the chance for success,
the belief in one’s own perfection can become harmful.

The episode also touches on the beginnings of sports psychology in Poland and offers inspiring examples of young people helping others.

The full conversation about sports, education, and the strength that passion provides is available on the SGMK YouTube channel.

“If something doesn’t work out today, it will work out tomorrow,” reminds coach Raubo, emphasizing that every child has the potential to find strength and passion through sports.

The “I’m Still Here” podcast is part of the project “Suicidology – State of Knowledge Analysis and Educational Campaign”, carried out by Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School and funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

“I’m Still Here” is available on the SGMK website as well as on the university’s profiles across popular social media platforms.

All episodes of the podcast can be found on a dedicated playlist.

“Suicidology” project – a multi-phase educational and research campaign

Since 2024, Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School has been implementing the project “Suicidology – state of knowledge analysis and educational campaign” funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The project aims to raise awareness of the problem of suicide and prepare a wide-ranging educational campaign. The initiative involves research at various levels of society, including educational, professional and medical communities. The collected data will be used to create personalized prevention strategies aimed at supporting people in crisis, as well as preventing critical situations.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. You can follow the progress of the work on the project’s dedicated website: www.sgmk.edu.pl/suicidology, where we publish updates on a regular basis. The site also includes an interactive map of workshops conducted under the project.

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