(EMU) St. Kitts, December 10, 2015 -- The long awaited After School Activity Programme (ASAP) under the CARICOM –Spain Reducing Youth on Youth Violence in Schools and Communities in CARICOM Member States Initiative, kicked off at the Cayon High School on December 1st, with a two day training of trainers workshop on the use of Sport as a vehicle for building and re-enforcing positive life-skills in adolescents and youth, and in reducing crime and violence among youths and in communities.
The training workshop was facilitated by Mark Mungal, Beverly Reynolds and Chevon LeGendre, representatives of the Caribbean Sports and Development Agency (CSDA). The activity brought together coaches, physical education teachers, guidance counsellors, sport administrators, trainers and leaders of youth, community development and child welfare and probation officers, with the aim of equipping them to engage, motivate and facilitate the building of resilience and life skills in adolescents and youths through sports.
Leadership, Resilience and Teamwork were the main areas of focus with interactive learning sessions used by the skilled and knowledgeable CSDA team to demonstrate how sports can be used to build skills such as communication and cooperation and qualities such as respect and responsibility in adolescents and youth.
The use of sport as a protective factor against low self esteem and crime and violence is well documented. Research has shown that after school programmes such as sports, art, music, dance and not only reduce excess and or unsupervised free time when acts of violence/crime by adolescents and youths are likely to occur, they provide children and youths with the opportunity for positive development and self-expression.
In this regard they also facilitate the development of alternatives to high risk behaviour and violence in children who might otherwise have resorted to such behaviours in dealing with life stressors.
Additionally, participation in sports and the arts has been shown to lead to increased ability in adolescents and youths to work on tasks, reduce delinquent behaviour and have fewer court referrals. Improvements have also been documented in attitudes, self-esteem, greater self-efficacy and greater resistance to peer pressure.
Feedback from participants was positive. They indicated that the training was beneficial not only for the court or field but also in the classroom. Training of trainers workshops are slated for Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia and will be followed by a roll out of the programmes in sports and the arts targeting at-risk students in the pilot schools.
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