The second level of the TAFISA Certified Leadership Courses hosted by the Fiji National Sports Commission (FNSC) was successfully held during the first week of September at the Pasifika Communities University (Suva).
CLC Facilitators Wendy Gillett (Australia) and Jörg Benner (Germany) trained a new generation of Sport for All leaders in Fiji that will advocate for meaningful leadership in sport supporting inclusion, integrity, and the empowerment of local communities.
Participants' Inspirational Learnings
After the completion of CLC Level 2, 91 % of participants now feel extremely confident or very confident to effectively manage Sport for All initiatives, an impressive statement backing the relevance and impact of the training.
CLC Level 2 participants further developed their knowledge, skills and competencies in specific focus areas and enhanced the design and delivery of their Sport for All initiatives expected to be implemented towards the end of the year. The thematic modules related to Sport for All and key horizontal themes that participants delved into were: social inclusion, gender equity, community volunteerism and governance in sport.
Fruitful discussions emerged within the concepts of intersectionality, automatic privilege and the relationship with unconscious bias in the approach towards sport participation. A conscious effort to include more voices in decision-making, in sport participation and in social life in the participants' organizations is one of the most shared sentiments that CLC 2 participants expressed: "start giving people genuine roles in projects rather than symbolic involvement". Having a diverse group of participants with different abilities emphasised on the power of inclusion.
More practically, CLC has also assisted participants in the intentionality behind the planning of their organizations' strategies and the implementation of Sport for All initiatives. The participants received tailored monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement of their proposals, while being encouraged to explore collaboration and knowledge exchange towards local and global action. In line with the thematic modules, all the projects have a high sense of inclusion, based also on the participants' strong sense of community.
Tuning Into It! The Success Story of Fijians Lifestyle
Music proved to be a very convincing vehicle for delivery. Whether it meant a lively morning start, a motivational energizer, during active breaks, or even to introduce a course concept, music was present throughout the 4-days in a cooperative location. The venue in front of the sea and surrounded by sport facilities also assisted in reflecting the reality (but also the opportunities) that islanders have.
Facilitators conveyed their awe on the full positivity that was found everywhere in Fiji with islanders being polite, welcoming, helpful, and full of gratitude.
Many participants offered remarkable stories, but the one by Selina Sandy Seau was particularly addressed; an amazing woman who also happens to be hearing impaired, an amputee, a paralympic athlete and one of the best advocates for CLC that we could ever imagine.
FNSC's aim was to develop local sports for all leaders, strengthening their knowledge and skills and identifying those passionate to lead change within their communities; now it can be proudly said that this marks "a gateway to something greater out there in Sport for All in Fiji".
Stay tuned for the most exciting phase of the CLC: project implementation by teams!
