SDVP Update May

8/14/2019 SDVP Update May

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SPORTS DEVELOPMENT VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Update May 2006

Congratulations on your efforts to date and your contribution tothe Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Sport DevelopmentVolunteers Program. As volunteers you have embarked on aprofessional and personal adventure sharing and applyingyour sporting expertise in a foreign context. The stories you arerelaying back to Australia about the work done, conversationshad and people met are indications of the impact andexcitement an individual can generate.

A few of you were lucky enough to attend the Games inMelbourne as guests and support staff for your respectivecountries. Many of you were also actively involved andparticipated in the Queens Baton Relay as it came to your localtown in country and for some of you just accessing coverage ofthe Games in country almost verged on impossible. Regardless

of these varying levels of involvement, your work placementsare creating greater opportunities for those around you.

Recently I attended the AVI Pre Departure Training for one of thevolunteers getting ready to depart. The office was a buzz withnew volunteers about to embark on their adventure and thestaff full of energy and support to ensure this happened withease and enjoyment. At the dinner my conversations with localsfrom Vanuatu and St Vincent & the Grenadines were a simplereminder of the wonderful characters you meet while travelling.Enjoy it while you can, you are the envy of many in Aus!!

Philippa KehoeProgram Coordinator

Coordinators perspective...

15 26 MARCH 2006

On the track in Namibia Steve briefing testers

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


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3/8

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 withrespect 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. Im 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 conclude17 July SDVP Final Newsletter

July Returned Volunteer Debrief, Melbourne (more information to follow)



4/8

Mel Tantrum, Trinidad and Tobago OlympicCommittee (TTOC)I hit the ground running in Port of Spain, Trinidad, with severalmeetings with key people and reading numerous reports, plansand policies. Everyone has been extremely positive, helpful andfriendly. Its carnival season here right now so everyone seems a

little distracted!The assignment involves general workshops for coaches andsport administrators on the key ideas of coach education, athletepathways/development models, and talent ID; and specificworkshops with individual sports to identify strategies toimprove these areas. Site visits are made to coaching programsto identify key objectives and planning/implementation issues.

Key tasks to date included meeting with Catherine Forde (TTOCGeneral Manager) and Larry Romany (TTOC President); NSOrepresentatives from swimming, table tennis and track and field;Hayden Newallo (Sports Foundation); and Neil Finlay, a fellowAustralian, and Project Coordinator for the Australian CaribbeanCommunity Sport Development Program with TTASPE and the

Australian Sports Commission.I assisted with preparations for the Trinidad and TobagoCommonwealth Games team to ensure that entries andaccreditation details reached Melbourne by the deadlines. Thiswas a huge task in the office with all hands on deck. I also metwith most traveling officials and managers with the team beforethey departed for the Games.

I prepared a paper Key Objectives Sport Development Modelcontaining initial goals and objectives for the developmentof sport in Trinidad and Tobago and presented it to the TTOCExecutive and all NSOs. This is a work in progress and a goodplatform to start working from. I developed a program for thefirst coaches workshop.

I met with Mr Theophilus Trim (Director of Sport, Department ofSport, Tobago) and Mrs Annette Knott (Vice President of TTOC) todiscuss plans for Tobago. It was agreed that the priority sportswill be netball, table tennis, track and field and basketball.I toured the Centre of Excellence, which is a similar concept tothe 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 theWorld Cup finals, soccer is experiencing exponential growth andthat should continue for at least a few years. Cricket is also one ofthe most popular sports with several matches at every oval.

On a personal note, Im doing two to three hours exercise per

day (Mels get fit campaign); participated in a 5km fun run;swim with the Flying Fish swimming club; making as manyfriends as possible; and involving myself in all aspects ofTrinidad and Tobago family life.

Mel

Volunteers viewpoints

Mel facilitating a CoachesWorkshop in Trinidad



5/8

Volunteer profileGayle Anderson, Athletics Development Manager, Cook Islands

The Queens Baton arrived in Rarotonga on 12 Januaryand left for Norfolk Island on 14. There was an incredibleamount of excitement, singing, dancing and music (plusa bit of Island rain), as the baton made its way around theisland, and people lined the streets to be a part of theprocession and in most cases get to touch the baton ifthey wanted to. I certainly did.

It was really something to be a part of a journey that willsee the baton visit 71 countries and unite people from somany different countries. The annual Sports Awards wereheld and the baton was displayed in a position of honor atthe dinner. It was so exciting just to be a part of it all.

I am slotting into Island life quite easily and nowunderstand why Island people move around slowly.Any movement faster than a slow walk causes copious

sweating so I have slowed my walking pace downconsiderably still sweating however!

I have also joined the local Top Shape gym as part of ageneral get fit campaign.

The equipment might be old and rusty but the exercises,workouts and gym activities are very similar to what theyare in Australia.

Things are starting to fall into place in the Athletics CookIsland (ACI) office. Anne Tierney and I have spent a lot oftime planning.

We have drawn up a draft program for ACI covering trackand field, cross country, road racing, fun runs, schoolevents, little athletics, disability athletics, mastersathletics and international events for 2006. This programis a mixture of existing events and new events that will betrialed this year.

I went to Sydney from 31 January -6 February for theAustralian Track and Field Championships and theCommonwealth Games trials. I was working there as anational technical official as this was the test event forthose people officiating at the Commonwealth Games.I actually missed Rarotonga while I was there and keptthinking about my house, work mates, friends etc. andwas looking forward to returning to my Island home,although I must admit I enjoyed being somewhat coolerin Sydney.

I am now back in Raro preparing for my first CoachingCourse and Officiating Course on the island of Atiu from13-17 February. There are 31 participants registered todo the courses. How many will actually be there will be

a surprise when I arrive knowing the Island way. Atiu ishosting the Manea Games in April (held every four yearsincorporating athletics, volleyball, darts, tennis touch,netball, rugby 7s and rugby 15s). It is a major event onthe Cook Islands sporting calendar so there will be a lot ofpreparation getting readyfor them.

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

It has been proposed by ACI that I return to each of theseislands for follow up development later in the year aspart of the Cook Islands Coaching Development Plan andOfficials Development Plan that is being set up. Followingthese programs there should be enough people with the

basic training to conduct future courses and the structureshould be in place for those already trained to developtheir skills at a higher level within the development plan.

Kia manuia

Gayle

The Queens Baton Relayvisits the Cook Islands



6/8

At the end of the day, Im just a person who sticks theirnose in and organises things! Thats how Wendy Bastowdescribes her role as a volunteer under the Melbourne

2006 Commonwealth Games Sport DevelopmentVolunteers Program.

Its an all-too-modest way of describing the range oftasks Wendy has undertaken in Tonga, which up tonow mainly involved preparing Tongas team for theMelbourne Games. And with her background in physicaleducation teaching, events management and businessmanagement, its a role for which she is eminentlyqualified.

The Sport Development Volunteers Program is anexcellent program that has been well received, Wendy

says. The Tongans are highly appreciative of what theVictorian Government has been doing in offering suchfantastic assistance.

The work that goes into organising a team to travelto Melbourne for the Games - accreditation, travel,accommodation, schedules and deadlines - is notsomething that fits readily with the easy going Tonganway of life. In Tonga, things get done with no stress andin Tonga time, Wendy says. So it was up to her to workwith her local counterparts to make sure everything wentsmoothly in the leadup to the Games. Tonga sent 24athletes, half of them with the rugby 7s, six boxers, threefrom track and field and three weightlifters.

Working closely with the Tonga Amateur SportsAssociation and National Olympic Committee (TASANOC),Wendy helped with some structure to the preparations,organising a weekly meeting, formal agenda, actionplans and timeframe. She devised a clever way to keeppreparations moving along by arranging for the headof TASANOC, Secretary-General Po oi Puloka, to pickher up in his car each morning on the way to the office.This enabled her to get in his ear, raising issues andhighlighting programs on a daily one-on-one basis!

Wendys involvement, her constant toing and froing,attention to detail and expertise in organising, meant theTongans 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. Ive done a lotof travel, but being thrown into another culture like this,being able to get totally immersed in a totally differentway of life, was a challenge, a juggle and just fantastic.The Tongans are just a lovely people very friendly, familyfocused, a lovely nature and so inclusive.

After the Games, Wendy will be back in Tonga for anothersix weeks to complete her five month stint under the SportDevelopment Volunteers Program. In that time, she willconsolidate her work with a view to leaving the Tonganswith some solid event management skills for use inorganising future activities.

Well done Wendy!

Volunteer profile

Wendy Bastow, Tonga

Wendy with TASANOCrepresentatives at the Team

Tonga Launch



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The majority of time in-country to date has been spenton planning the activities and programs that will beundertaken during the volunteer assignment. I am

organising the logistics of conducting the trainingprograms, and creating the content to match as closelyas possible the requirements of the Caribbean CoachingCertification Program (CCCP).

These plans have been submitted to the St Lucia NationalNetball Association (SLNNA) Executive and President of theSt Lucia Olympic Committee (SLOC) for feedback.

I have also been regularly involved with games thatare currently occurring as part of the Vintage Leaguecompetition. Like most places, umpires are alwaysneeded so I have helped out so that games take place.

The training workshops commence in a few weeks. It isestimated that about 200 participants will take part inthe workshops across the island. Additionally, about 40officials from schools, the Ministry, youth councils andnetball club members will be assisting (10 for each of thefour major centres).

It is envisaged that the most significant change resultingfrom the Sport Development Volunteers Programassignment in St Lucia will be assisting with somestructure for the development of the sport. At presentthere is an irregular training program. By building onthis program and by increasing the contact between thedifferent clubs and associations, there is an opportunityto provide much stronger pathways for the progression ofthose involved.

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

provide regular and progressive training forindividuals to improve their skills;

provide opportunities to easily complete thecourse requirements for their accreditation incoaching or umpiring;

support the development of a larger participation

base of netball through the inclusion of schoolteams in a junior competition;

create incentives for schools to participate inthe sport and for individuals to complete theiraccreditation in coaching and/or umpiring; and

ensure that skills are transferred from thevolunteer to local personnel.

This should provide a foundation for the development ofthe sport in a sustainable manner.

It is primarily at a high-school age where young girls areintroduced to the sport through becoming involved withlocal clubs. The majority of players are taught netball fromthe personal experience of senior players or exposure toregional/international opportunities for play, as opposedto any formal netball coaching. A handful of players havepersonally undertaken training in umpiring.

To be able to develop netball cohesively and ensuresustainability, an integrated system for development ispreferable to the delivery of isolated programs. Otherwise,once the programs are concluded, the flow on benefit islimited and there is a significant likelihood of a return tothe original status quo as training and skills will not be

diffused widely. Additionally, a progressive developmentapproach in different programs for specialisation (ie eliteplayer, umpire, coach, administrator) will be part of theplanning.

Michelle

Volunteer profile

Michelle Cheah, netball coaching education and development in St Lucia

Michelle in action with St Luciajunior netballers



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John & Stacy with the Falkland IslandsTeam in the Athletes Village

Lisa makes presentations at asports carnival in Cyprus

Farewelling the Tonga Rugby 7sTeam to Melbourne

Niue primary school studentsenjoying PE with Graham

Kay at the Barbados OlympicCommittee Office

Stacy coaching Clay PigeonShooters in the Falkland Islands


Documents

SDVP Update May