Commonwealth Games Canada’s SportWORKS Program supports 4 international sport development projects
Young Canadians to Impact Thousands in the Caribbean and Africa
September 18, 2015, OTTAWA – The Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) SportWORKS Program is a collection of initiatives that sends Canadian sport leaders to Commonwealth countries on 1 week to 1-year placements designing and delivering sustainable sport development programs and building sport system capacity. Over the next 3 years CGC will deliver the Queen Elizabeth Scholars Initiative (QESI) as part of its SportWORKS Program. CGC will prepare, send and monitor 71 senior Brock University sport management students on 4-month internships, supporting sport development projects in various Commonwealth countries.In September 2015, the first of these QESI SportWORKS Officers will lead projects in four countries, two in the Caribbean and two in Africa:
Botswana – Botswana Long Term Athlete Development Project / SportWORKS Officer: Michael Small (Toronto, ON)
Will assist with the implementation of the Botswana Long Term Athlete Development model (BLTAD) for the sports of Football, Athletics, Boxing, Golf, Tennis, Squash, Judo and Cricket. Michael will work with both the Botswana National Olympic Committee and the National Federations to implement different stages of the model in various regions across the country.
Turks and Caicos – Rugby Development Projec t/ SportWORKS Officer: Courtney Tinkler (Kawartha Lakes, ON)
Will take on the role of Rugby Development Officer with the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union (TCIRFU). Responsibilities will include working with the junior development program to assist in the management of the U19 rugby teams, assisting in planning of coaching and leadership workshops, and working with players to promote positive life skills such as discipline, teamwork, humility and patience.
St Vincent and the Grenadines – Sport for Life Project / SportWORKS Officer: Ian Bottum (Haliburton, ON)
Will assist the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SVGOCCGA) to establish multi-sport clubs in different regions of the country. These clubs will collaborate with schools in their communities to provide access to sport, while promoting the benefits of education and literacy to students.
Swaziland – Leaders in Training Project / SportWORKS Officer: Amanda MacKenzie (Sault Ste.Marie, ON)
Will assist with the Leaders in Training (LIT) program in collaboration with the Swaziland Olympic & Commonwealth Games Association. This project works with schools and communities to develop life skills through sport with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS prevention. Individuals will use Olympic and Commonwealth values to encourage communities to engage and be active while working towards increased participation in sport throughout Swaziland.
Three additional sport development projects will be added in 2016.
“Commonwealth Games Canada has been a long term leader in the field of international development through sport”, said Richard Powers, President of Commonwealth Games Canada. “We are proud today to announce the continuation of this work through the Queen Elizabeth Scholars Initiative and these SportWORKS projects in Africa and the Caribbean”. Under SportWORKS’s QESI Initiative, senior Sport Management students from Brock University will undertake 4 month internships in Commonwealth Countries to assist with unique Sport for Development projects in the areas of Athlete Development, Sport and Education and Multi Sport Games Planning while gaining experience to prepare them for a career in sport. “This will be an unbelievable experience for me as a sport management student”, said Ian Bottum, SportWORKS Officer in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “I have heard from previous students whose lives have been transformed by their experience in the field of development through sport. I am awed by what awaits me in working with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association, and I hope that CGC’s SportWORKS as well as my contribution will leave a lasting impact on my host organization”. You can follow Ian, and each SportWORKS Officer’s personal journey through their blogs at commonwealthgames.ca.
Commonwealth Games Canada expresses its congratulations to this group of SportWORKS Officers and the organization will continue its work in sport development projects, assisting Commonwealth nations in Africa and the Caribbean for years to come.
