Kids Athletics Instructors given added assignment

The 15 Kids Athletics Instructors who were part of the World Athletics’ Train the Trainers Course held here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) from August 18-20, 2024, have been given an additional assignment.

They have been tasked to help in any way possible to keep the youngsters on the right side of the law.

That charge came from President of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC), Stephen Joachim, when he spoke at a brief opening ceremony of the workshop, at Olympic House, Villa Point on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

Acknowledging that crime and violence is a scourge within the Caribbean region, Joachim implored the instructors, “Your duty is to get the young people moving and active in the society and feeling a sense of pride and help our societies… If you do that, you would have made a significant change in your country and the Caribbean as a whole.”

Joachim pointed out that once occupied meaningfully, young people have less time for crime.

“Crimes are generally committed among people who have way too much time on their hands … We are all Caribbean people and it reflects badly on all of us when St Vincent and the Grenadines has a murder rate of 55 per 100 000; St Kitts and Nevis is up there with us, and some of the other countries,” Joachim painfully acknowledged.

Joachim’s pleas were targeted to instructors from Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, as well host country St Vincent and the Grenadines.

During the workshop, participants were involved in theoretical and practical sessions. Introduction to Kids’ Athletics; Risk Assessment and Safeguarding; Planning a Kids’ Athletics Session; Event Planning; and Kids’ Athletics Implementation Plan, comprised the theoretical part of the workshop, all done at the Olympic House.

Meanwhile, at the Arnos Vale Two Playing Field, the practical sessions covered Kids’ Athletics Coaches Approach; Adapting activities involving STEPS; the Importance of Warm Up; Fundamental Movement Skills; and Athletics Movement Skills. The workshop culminated with a festival.

Facilitating the course were Vincentians, Kellisha Ashton-Yorke, national coordinator; and Chester Morgan, Technical Director of Team Athletics SVG.

The instructors are now required to be the trainers in their respective countries.