PSD conducts training course facilitating the delivery of its community sports programme

Delivering a community sports project requires the coaches to be trained in different aspects of programme delivery. This includes effective coaching practices, methodology for monitoring and evaluation of the programme and educating the coaches in polices relating to child protection, prevention of sexual harassment and the basics of first aid.

The training began by conducting a classroom session covering the aims and values of the programme and why and how it is structured with emphasis on the focus areas. The second half of the session was spent on educating the coaches on how to plan a session using the STEP protocol, which involved allowing them to create their own plan and then discussing the methods of creating a session plan with the rest of the coaches and the trainers.

The practical part of the training concentrated on how to deliver a session. This was spilt into three key areas: organisation, communication and delivering the focus. Coaches were trained through a practical session by the trainers, where they were asked to complete tasks which covered the aspects below:

• Organising a session keeping in the mind the sessions should be fun, safe and inclusive for all the children
• Using different modes of communication (visual, verbal, written illustrations) to instruct and explain games during a session
• The methodology used for delivering the focuses of the community programme

The training on the monitoring and evaluation of the programme was conducted to educate the coaches about the importance of measuring the impact and their role in this process. They were trained on preparing case studies and questionnaires to capture the impact the programme is having on the children.

Major emphasis was also laid on policies and procedures related to creating a safe working environment and safeguarding the children involved in the project. The trainer also went through the common injuries that occur and how to respond to these through basic first aid procedures.

The training concluded with the coaches taking an assessment which involved a multiple choice theoretical exam based on areas covered in the classroom sessions. The practical part of the assessment involved testing the ability of the coaches to plan, organise and deliver a session. The coaches were marked on their performance in both areas of the assessment, resulting in them being certified as qualified PSD community coaches.

• Visit the Pro Sport Development website