As part of its activities with respect to the observances of Social Workers’ Month, the Department of Social Development hosted a two-day training workshop which focused on the safety aspect of sports, particularly in the Anguilla context.
The sessions took place on Tuesday, March 24th and Wednesday March 25th at the Anguilla Football Association’s Dormitory Conference Room, under the theme: “Safe Sport and Sport Social Work: Strengthening Safeguarding, Player Care, and Wellbeing in Anguilla”. Participating were several social workers and local sports personalities related with sporting activities on the island.
Affiliate collaborators included the Ministry of Social Development and Education, the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies, the Community Services Planning Unit, the Anguilla Football Association, and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association.
Opening the workshop, Director of Family and Social Services, Brittany Christopher, expressed her thanks to all the sponsors and associates. Commenting on the purpose of the workshop, she explained: “This initiative is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to access and gain insightful, practical, knowledge in this important and evolving field – safety in sports. Through our collaborators, we are taking meaningful steps towards strengthening the ecosystem that support player wellbeing and safeguarding.”
Community Services Planner, Mrs. Hyacinth Bradley greeted the workshop: “Today, I am really pleased to be a part of this initiative,” she said, “where we are looking at safety in sports. At the Community Services Planning Unit we do work that is aligned with just about everything in the social realm, and we see sports as a vehicle that facilitates our engagement and interventions…
“In the area of sport safeguarding, the protection of players is key; it is fundamental,” she noted, “and so this workshop today is critical.”
Also speaking at the opening was Secretary of the Anguilla Football Association, Mrs. Twyla Richardson-Thomas, and Technical Director for the Anguilla Football Association, Mr. Colin Johnson.
Facilitator for the training was Dr. Cheryl-Ann Boodram, a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Social Work Programme at the St. Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad, as well as Mr. Garry St. Rose, also of Trinidad, who joined the session via video feed.
Topics covered over the course of the two days included Foundations of Safeguarding in the Context of National Development; Sport Social Work, Player Care and Psychosocial Wellbeing; Integrating Trauma-Informed Care into Player Care and Wellbeing; and Imperatives for Co-Constructing Policy, Reporting Mechanisms, and Organizational Preparedness.
The Anguillian conversed with Dr. Boodram during break-time at one of the sessions: “This workshop focuses on the safety of athletes,” she said. “It deals with creating and safeguarding safe sporting environments for players and stakeholders within the field of sports.”
“I am so happy to be here to contribute to the outcome of player safety,” she remarked. “At times, when we look at athletes we tend to think that they are invincible and that they will be strong all the time. However, the reality is that they are subject to face several issues like everyone else, whether it be mental health, physical exertion, or any other issues relative to an environment that might not be safe.”
“An athlete is human too,” she pointed out, “and more so, due to his or her identity as an athlete, he or she may have compounded issues. So whereas some persons may think that athletes go through the normal development stages to get to where they are at, they actually have an additional burden to contend with because of their athletic identity.”
“I think that we have come to recognize that the wellbeing of athletes is pivotal in their performance,” Dr. Boodram observed. “So, the performance of an athlete is largely a product of his or her wellbeing.”
She noted that if society wants athletes to perform better, it is mandatory that the ecosystem or the environment around them is one that is healthy, safe and supportive so they are able to thrive and not just survive in whatever sport they may pursue.
By: James R. Harrigan
