Sport Cambodia Project #34187

Empower 2,000 Cambodian Kids Through Sport

by Globalteer

Empower 2,000 Cambodian Kids Through Sport

Project Report | Jun 16, 2021
Making the Most of the Down Time

By Jenny Byrne | Fundraising & Communications Officer

Drop in workout sessions at Helping Hands

After a promising start to 2021, a new Covid-19 outbreak at the end of February caused further school shutdowns, so we’ve been unable to continue normal operations since then. That said, after more than a year of dealing with this, we’ve been learning how to be flexible and adapt to the “new normal”.

We don’t have to stop moving

During this last run of closures, Helping Hands School was authorized to allow small groups of children to visit us daily, to pick up schoolwork and fresh produce from our gardens. And since we were keeping them academically stimulated and well-fed, why not give them a quick workout too? Our football pitch is big enough for 20 students to run around while keeping a safe distance from each other (and we require everyone to use masks while onsite), so we’ve been able to run quick workout sessions and keep promoting the healthy habits we try to instill in the children during our regular sessions. These opportunities remind the kids (and us) that even though the world seems to have stopped moving, it doesn’t mean we have to!

Coaching the coaches

Although we can’t work with the children much, the team has been taking full advantage of this break in standard programming to work on their own skills. Jared, our Program Manager, has been working with the team on two key factors, to help improve the delivery of the program:

Coach Fitness: We want our coaches to be role models for the children, to help motivate them to keep going. Through PE sessions with Jared, the coaches can improve their own fitness, understand the exercises and drills more deeply and remember what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a coach’s instructions!
Curriculum and Lesson Plans: With unexpected time on their hands, the coaching team can delve into their usual lesson plans to really analyze what works and what doesn’t, and brainstorm ways to improve them. Jared is also taking this opportunity to teach the coaches a new sport: Ultimate Frisbee! Not only does ultimate frisbee involve new ways of engaging the body and mind, it comes with lessons about equity and peaceful conflict-resolution built-in.

All our coaches, teachers, and students are hoping to return to some form of normality soon. And when we do, the team will be ready with new lesson plans, a better understanding of the exercises and a whole new sport to teach!

As ever, the Globalteer Sports team and students are extremely grateful for your ongoing support, and we hope to see everyone out on the field soon!

Coach fitness is important too!

Learning new sports to teach the children

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