Discovering sport, development, and myself

 
I have always been very fond of sports but until a few years ago I did not know that there could be a career in sports that did not involve playing one. Since that discovery I have been trying to break into the sports sector.  This project was my first full-time experience of working in the field of sport and development.

Skills and understanding
I took this volunteering opportunity to develop skills for a career in S&D and also to enhance my understanding of a typical sport and development organisation.

[Insert job title]
My job profile was very varied, from building a structure for the first-ever Inter-club volleyball league to creating a video presentation showing the historical progress of the Khel Vikas project.  I was also given the task of a "content creator" handling Khel Vikas's social media and promoting the project online.  

Learning 
By working at this project I was able to see at first hand how sports projects are run and perceived at the grassroots level. My experience with Pro4Sport Solutions (P4SS) was fun and engaging - I never felt that I was working!

A big task
I think the team at P4SS have chosen an enormous task to develop sport in one of the most under-developed regions of India.

While working on the video, I got to understand the tremendous progress made by the small team at P4SS in spite of limited resources.  I also learned how Khel Vikas has developed the required structure for young children and communities to benefit from regular participation in sport. 

The project was very well-organised with a clear vision and offers great potential for the people of Odisha.   I enjoyed working with a passionate bunch of people who have managed to align their work with the vision of developing sport in rural areas.

Final words
Excluding the food (a big personal adjustment!) my stay on the Gram Vikas campus was pleasant.  Another interesting aspect of my experience was interacting with people from different parts of the world.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team].