Sdvp Update May

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Update – May 2006 Coordinator’s perspective... Congratulations on your efforts to date and your contribution to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Sport Development Volunteers Program. As volunteers you have embarked on a professional and personal adventure sharing and applying your sporting expertise in a foreign context. The stories you are relaying back to Australia about the work done, conversations had and people met are indications of the impact and excitement an individual can generate. A few of you were lucky enough to attend the Games in Melbourne as guests and support staff for your respective countries. Many of you were also actively involved and participated in the Queen’s Baton Relay as it came to your local town in country and for some of you just accessing coverage of the Games in country almost verged on impossible. Regardless

of these varying levels of involvement, your work placements are creating greater opportunities for those around you. Recently I attended the AVI Pre Departure Training for one of the volunteers getting ready to depart. The office was a buzz with new volunteers about to embark on their adventure and the staff full of energy and support to ensure this happened with ease and enjoyment. At the dinner my conversations with locals from Vanuatu and St Vincent & the Grenadines were a simple reminder of the wonderful characters you meet while travelling. Enjoy it while you can, you are the envy of many in Aus!!

Philippa Kehoe Program Coordinator

On the track in Namibia – Steve briefing testers

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

15 – 26 MARCH 2006

Program update • 16 volunteers in country • 5 placements are completed • 2 volunteers just departed To give you an idea of where the other volunteers are and what they are doing... Volunteer

Placement Description

Country

Tom

Program Director, Nation’s Fitness Quest

Anguilla

Andrew

Talent ID Sport Development Officer

Antigua & Barbuda

Kay

National Sport Talent ID Program Officer

Barbados

Gayle

Athletics Development Manager

Cook Islands

Samantha

Administration Officer- Policy Development

Fiji

Trudie

Basketball Coach/ Talent Development Officer

Malta

Maurice

National Federation Consultant

Papua New Guinea

Ross

Sports Administrator

Samoa

Narelle

Elite Program Coordinator

Seychelles

Michelle

Netball Coaching Education and Development Officer

St Lucia

Lisa

Development Officer, Team Athletics

St Vincent & The Grenadines

Peter

Development Officer, Sports Administration

The Gambia

Wendy

Team / Event Management Mentor

Tonga

Steve

Athletics Development Officer

Turks & Caicos

Michael

Sport Business/ Marketing Development Officer

Vanuatu

Gabriel

Talent ID Program Officer

Zambia

Returned Volunteers Lisa

National Talent ID and Project Coordinator

Cyprus

John and Stacy

Coach - Clay Pigeon Shooting

Falkland Islands

Stephen

National Sport Talent ID Program Officer

Namibia

Graham

Junior Sport Development Officer

Niue

Mel

Sport Development Officer

Trinidad & Tobago

“The Sport Development Volunteers Program has offered a great opportunity and brought lasting benefits to sports training and development in countries which are not as fortunate as Australia.” Minister for Commonwealth Games, Justin Madden.

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

Hello from Geoff I recently returned from a trip to Namibia where I was lucky enough to spend time with Steve Jacobs getting an overview of how his assignment was progressing. What was really apparent was the enthusiasm for change that was evident in everyone involved, but also the apprehension that people felt with respect to how big the task was. The lesson for me was a reinforcement of the messages regarding planning, controlling scope, managing expectations and ensuring there is local ownership. Through the steering committee overseeing the assignment in Namibia there were people focused on controlling these factors. The lesson for you in your activities is to remember that you are on an assignment that is very short compared to many other volunteer placements, so it is even more important that you agree on achievable objectives with your hosts, and stick to them. Philippa has made the handover task to her extremely easy and my role with the program now is pretty hands off, although I have a chance at least daily to get an update on what is happening. The big focus over the next few months will be evaluation, so start to think about the impact you are having and the changes you are seeing. I’m looking forward to more great stories about what is being achieved. Regards, Geoff Former Coordinator

Upcoming events 16 June

SDVP June Newsletter

26 June

Volunteer placement evaluation reports due

30 June

SDVP Placements conclude

17 July

SDVP Final Newsletter

July

Returned Volunteer Debrief, Melbourne (more information to follow)

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

Volunteers viewpoints Mel Tantrum, Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) I hit the ground running in Port of Spain, Trinidad, with several meetings with key people and reading numerous reports, plans and policies. Everyone has been extremely positive, helpful and friendly. It’s carnival season here right now so everyone seems a little distracted! The assignment involves general workshops for coaches and sport administrators on the key ideas of coach education, athlete pathways/development models, and talent ID; and specific workshops with individual sports to identify strategies to improve these areas. Site visits are made to coaching programs to identify key objectives and planning/implementation issues. Key tasks to date included meeting with Catherine Forde (TTOC General Manager) and Larry Romany (TTOC President); NSO representatives from swimming, table tennis and track and field; Hayden Newallo (Sports Foundation); and Neil Finlay, a fellow Australian, and Project Coordinator for the Australian Caribbean Community Sport Development Program with TTASPE and the Australian Sports Commission. I assisted with preparations for the Trinidad and Tobago Commonwealth Games team to ensure that entries and accreditation details reached Melbourne by the deadlines. This was a huge task in the office with ‘all hands on deck’. I also met with most traveling officials and managers with the team before they departed for the Games.

I prepared a paper ‘Key Objectives – Sport Development Model’ containing initial goals and objectives for the development of sport in Trinidad and Tobago and presented it to the TTOC Executive and all NSOs. This is a work in progress and a good platform to start working from. I developed a program for the first coaches workshop. I met with Mr Theophilus Trim (Director of Sport, Department of Sport, Tobago) and Mrs Annette Knott (Vice President of TTOC) to discuss plans for Tobago. It was agreed that the priority sports will be netball, table tennis, track and field and basketball. I toured the Centre of Excellence, which is a similar concept to the Australian Institute of Sport - a good setup with stadium, training facilities and swimming pool. I attended and observed several coaching sessions for soccer, which is played at every oval. With Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup finals, soccer is experiencing exponential growth and that should continue for at least a few years. Cricket is also one of the most popular sports with several matches at every oval. On a personal note, I’m doing two to three hours exercise per day (Mel’s ‘get fit’ campaign); participated in a 5km fun run; swim with the Flying Fish swimming club; making as many friends as possible; and involving myself in all aspects of Trinidad and Tobago family life.

Mel

Mel facilitating a Coaches’ Workshop in Trinidad

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

Volunteer profile Gayle Anderson, Athletics Development Manager, Cook Islands The Queen’s Baton arrived in Rarotonga on 12 January and left for Norfolk Island on 14. There was an incredible amount of excitement, singing, dancing and music (plus a bit of Island rain), as the baton made its way around the island, and people lined the streets to be a part of the procession and in most cases get to touch the baton if they wanted to. I certainly did.

a surprise when I arrive knowing the Island way. Atiu is hosting the Manea Games in April (held every four years incorporating athletics, volleyball, darts, tennis touch, netball, rugby 7s and rugby 15s). It is a major event on the Cook Islands sporting calendar so there will be a lot of preparation getting ready for them.

It was really something to be a part of a journey that will see the baton visit 71 countries and unite people from so many different countries. The annual Sports Awards were held and the baton was displayed in a position of honor at the dinner. It was so exciting just to be a part of it all.

I will be conducting courses on each of the other islands in the Southern Group before the Manea Games to help them to prepare their coaches and athletes for these games.

I am slotting into Island life quite easily and now understand why Island people move around slowly. Any movement faster than a slow walk causes copious sweating so I have slowed my walking pace down considerably – still sweating however! I have also joined the local ‘Top Shape’ gym as part of a general get fit campaign. The equipment might be old and rusty but the exercises, workouts and gym activities are very similar to what they are in Australia. Things are starting to fall into place in the Athletics Cook Island (ACI) office. Anne Tierney and I have spent a lot of time planning.

It has been proposed by ACI that I return to each of these islands for follow up development later in the year as part of the Cook Islands Coaching Development Plan and Officials Development Plan that is being set up. Following these programs there should be enough people with the basic training to conduct future courses and the structure should be in place for those already trained to develop their skills at a higher level within the development plan.

Kia manuia

Gayle The Queen’s Baton Relay visits the Cook Islands

We have drawn up a draft program for ACI covering track and field, cross country, road racing, fun runs, school events, little athletics, disability athletics, masters athletics and international events for 2006. This program is a mixture of existing events and new events that will be trialed this year. I went to Sydney from 31 January -6 February for the Australian Track and Field Championships and the Commonwealth Games trials. I was working there as a national technical official as this was the test event for those people officiating at the Commonwealth Games. I actually missed Rarotonga while I was there and kept thinking about my house, work mates, friends etc. and was looking forward to returning to my Island home, although I must admit I enjoyed being somewhat cooler in Sydney. I am now back in Raro preparing for my first Coaching Course and Officiating Course on the island of Atiu from 13-17 February. There are 31 participants registered to do the courses. How many will actually be there will be

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

Volunteer profile Wendy Bastow, Tonga “At the end of the day, I’m just a person who sticks their nose in and organises things!” That’s how Wendy Bastow describes her role as a volunteer under the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Sport Development Volunteers Program. It’s an all-too-modest way of describing the range of tasks Wendy has undertaken in Tonga, which up to now mainly involved preparing Tonga’s team for the Melbourne Games. And with her background in physical education teaching, events management and business management, it’s a role for which she is eminently qualified. “The Sport Development Volunteers Program is an excellent program that has been well received,” Wendy says. “The Tongans are highly appreciative of what the Victorian Government has been doing in offering such fantastic assistance.”

Wendy’s involvement, her constant toing and froing, attention to detail and expertise in organising, meant the Tongans’ arrival in Melbourne was stress-free. It was a big job – and extraordinarily rewarding for her personally. “It has been fantastic for me,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of travel, but being thrown into another culture like this, being able to get totally immersed in a totally different way of life, was a challenge, a juggle and – just fantastic. The Tongans are just a lovely people – very friendly, family focused, a lovely nature and so inclusive.” After the Games, Wendy will be back in Tonga for another six weeks to complete her five month stint under the Sport Development Volunteers Program. In that time, she will consolidate her work with a view to leaving the Tongans with some solid event management skills for use in organising future activities.

Well done Wendy!

The work that goes into organising a team to travel to Melbourne for the Games - accreditation, travel, accommodation, schedules and deadlines - is not something that fits readily with the easy going Tongan way of life. “In Tonga, things get done with no stress and in Tonga time,” Wendy says. So it was up to her to work with her local counterparts to make sure everything went smoothly in the leadup to the Games. Tonga sent 24 athletes, half of them with the rugby 7s, six boxers, three from track and field and three weightlifters. Working closely with the Tonga Amateur Sports Association and National Olympic Committee (TASANOC), Wendy “helped with some structure” to the preparations, organising a weekly meeting, formal agenda, action plans and timeframe. She devised a clever way to keep preparations moving along by arranging for the head of TASANOC, Secretary-General Po oi Puloka, to pick her up in his car each morning on the way to the office. This enabled her to get in his ear, raising issues and highlighting programs on a daily one-on-one basis!

Wendy with TASANOC representatives at the Team Tonga Launch

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

Volunteer profile Michelle Cheah, netball coaching education and development in St Lucia The majority of time in-country to date has been spent on planning the activities and programs that will be undertaken during the volunteer assignment. I am organising the logistics of conducting the training programs, and creating the content to match as closely as possible the requirements of the Caribbean Coaching Certification Program (CCCP). These plans have been submitted to the St Lucia National Netball Association (SLNNA) Executive and President of the St Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) for feedback. I have also been regularly involved with games that are currently occurring as part of the Vintage League competition. Like most places, umpires are always needed so I have helped out so that games take place. The training workshops commence in a few weeks. It is estimated that about 200 participants will take part in the workshops across the island. Additionally, about 40 officials from schools, the Ministry, youth councils and netball club members will be assisting (10 for each of the four major centres). It is envisaged that the most significant change resulting from the Sport Development Volunteers Program assignment in St Lucia will be assisting with some structure for the development of the sport. At present there is an irregular training program. By building on this program and by increasing the contact between the different clubs and associations, there is an opportunity to provide much stronger pathways for the progression of those involved.

This should provide a foundation for the development of the sport in a sustainable manner. It is primarily at a high-school age where young girls are introduced to the sport through becoming involved with local clubs. The majority of players are taught netball from the personal experience of senior players or exposure to regional/international opportunities for play, as opposed to any formal netball coaching. A handful of players have personally undertaken training in umpiring. To be able to develop netball cohesively and ensure sustainability, an integrated system for development is preferable to the delivery of isolated programs. Otherwise, once the programs are concluded, the flow on benefit is limited and there is a significant likelihood of a return to the original status quo as training and skills will not be diffused widely. Additionally, a progressive development approach in different programs for specialisation (ie elite player, umpire, coach, administrator) will be part of the planning.

Michelle

Michelle in action with St Lucia junior netballers

A plan has been drafted for how training programs for coaching and umpiring could be conducted to: •

provide regular and progressive training for individuals to improve their skills;

•

provide opportunities to easily complete the course requirements for their accreditation in coaching or umpiring;

•

support the development of a larger participation base of netball through the inclusion of school teams in a junior competition;

•

create incentives for schools to participate in the sport and for individuals to complete their accreditation in coaching and/or umpiring; and

•

ensure that skills are transferred from the volunteer to local personnel.

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International

John & Stacy with the Falkland Islands Team in the Athletes Village

Niue primary school students enjoying PE with Graham

Lisa makes presentations at a sports carnival in Cyprus

Kay at the Barbados Olympic Committee Office

Farewelling the Tonga Rugby 7s Team to Melbourne

Stacy coaching Clay Pigeon Shooters in the Falkland Islands

Delivered by the Australian Sports Commission with the assistance of Australian Volunteers International