SVGOC hosts Safeguarding workshops for affiliates/stakeholders

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC), is ensuring that all its affiliates and other stakeholders are on board and up to speed as it relates to the issue of safeguarding.

As part of the engagement, the first of several workshops will be held this Saturday, Aril 13, 2024,

at the Conference Room of Olympic House, located at Villa Point, beginning at 9:30 a.m. to look at a variety of related topics.

Corporal Garet Dopwell, of the Anti- Trafficking Unit within the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, will deal with human trafficking; social worker, Camille Mc Intosh will address the matter of child abuse in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Kevan Glasgow, also a social worker, will deal with matter of the psychological effects of abuse on athletic performance.

Chair of the Safeguarding Committee set up by the SVG Olympic Committee (SVGOC), Shimano Bailey noted that the workshops are timely, as they tie in with the observance of Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, hence, the different areas being addressed.

Bailey said that while all topics affect the sporting fraternity, the matter of how athletic performance is affected, specifically the use of marijuana, will be on of particular focus during the workshops.

“ It is common knowledge that marijuana use is becoming prevalent, therefore, we also need to think about how substance abuse affects our athletes’ mental health”, Bailey commented.

He thus made a correlation with the introduction of marijuana for medicinal purposes, here in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Since the use of medicinal marijuana was introduced in this country, marijuana laws have been relaxed somewhat….

“In hindsight, the messages young people receive about marijuana use are mixed,” Bailey proffered.

Using some widely accepted findings, Bailey stated, “ When cannabis is used early in a child’s life, it alters mental abilities and processes associated with knowledge, including memory, judgement, evaluation, reasoning, computation, problem-solving, and decision-making, and decreases long-term function while increasing the risk of addiction”.

He added, “According to most experts, the brain reaches its full potential by 25 years old…consequently, young people should be aware of the potential risks associated with marijuana use, particularly during their developmental stage”.

In 2022, the SVGOC appointed Bailey as the Safeguarding lead and he received training in this regard, complementing his substantive duties as a social worker.

The SVGOC established a Safeguarding Committee in 2023.