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SportWORKS Blog

COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA

CSC SportWORKS Program

ayg_i_am_team_botswanaA collection of initiatives which sends Canadian sport leaders (called SportWORKS Officers) to Commonwealth countries from 1 week to 1-year placements designing and delivering sustainable sport programs and building sport system capacity. Since 2001 over 200 Canadian sport leaders have enriched the lives of over 2 million youth in 26 Commonwealth countries.

CSC SPORTWORKS SPORT FOR NEWCOMERS INITIATIVE (S4N):

Using the success of the SportWORKS program model, CSC has created an initiative focused on Commonwealth newcomer youth in Canada. The Sport for Newcomers Initiative (S4N) is designed to build and enhance the capacity of Newcomer Service Support Organizations (NSSOs) in Canada and to reduce barriers to sport participation for newcomer youth, leading to increased sport frequency rates and retention of this population. The Initiative aims to build NSSO organizational capacity through internship placements of SportWORKS Officers, who assist with the transfer of knowledge and capacity building at NSSOs for staff and volunteers, by developing resources/materials, building partnerships with local sport organizations, seeking local program funding opportunities and by assisting with the accumulation of data for baseline results of pilot monitoring and evaluation for future programming and longitudinal indicators.

CSC SportWORKS S4N projects include:

Sport for Newcomers Edmonton

Sport for Newcomers Toronto

Sport for Newcomers Calgary

Sport for Newcomers Hamilton

CSC SPORTWORKS QESI:

Queen Elizabeth Scholars Initiative (QESI):  CSC in partnership with Universities Canada, Brock University, and Mount Royal University prepare, send and monitor 70+ senior sport management students on 4-month internships, supporting sport development and sport for development projects in various Commonwealth countries.

CSC SportWORKS QESI projects include:

Bahamas – 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games Support

Botswana – Botswana Long-Term Athlete Development Project

Swaziland/Eswatini – Sport Values 4 Life (SV4L) Project

Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI) – Rugby Development Project

Samoa – 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games Support

St Vincent and the Grenadines – Community, Multi-sport Club Development Project

S4N Hamilton – Getting to know Community through Sports

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer – S4N Hamilton During the past few month, I have had the pleasure of developing sports programs for Newcomer youth as a SportWORKS Officer on behalf of CSC and the YMCA Centre for Newcomers Hamilton. Coming out of the pandemic, it was very difficult to encourage youth to participate in […]

The End of a New Beginning!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Calgary It has now been a week since I officially ended my SportWORKS Officer placement with Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary. During this time I have been thinking of how to describe my time working to create events and behind the […]

S4N Hamilton – Pass the Baton for Inclusion

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Hamilton Saturday May 28th, 2022 will go down as a special moment for many of our Newcomer youth. It was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) and to learn the history of the Baton along with the Commonwealth Games. Leading up […]

S4N Hamilton – The start of something amazing!

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Hamilton I have reached the halfway point of being a SportWORKS Officer and have already had a great experience. It’s been incredible working with Newcomer youth to help them acquire life skills through sport. It’s also been fantastic to watch their confidence grow with time. Our weekly […]

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Calgary Last week wrapped up the Girls Only All Sports Week at the Genesis Centre in Northeast Calgary. This event was an opportunity for Newcomer girls to connect and play with others girls in a similar situation as them. All the girls who participated were very thoughtful of […]

S4N Hamilton – Commonwealth Day and the Celebration of Sports for Everyone!

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Hamilton What an amazing month!! With restrictions slowly being lifted, I have been able to work in person with our host partner at YMCA Hamilton. We are currently running a soccer program for Newcomers on Fridays, the joy of the participants to be around others again is wonderful to […]

Commonwealth Day!!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Calgary Monday, March 14th was Commonwealth Day and marked the first session in a week long of Newcomer sport programming opportunities!!!  72 countries and territories of rich diversity celebrate unity through Common Values such as; Democracy, Rule of Law and Equality and are innovating, connecting and […]

First In-Person Event Complete!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Calgary Our first in-person event was just completed on January 29th 2022! This event is a key marker to show that this project is indeed charging forward toward change once again. I organized a Try Badminton Day at Calgary’s Sunridge Badminton Centre, which is located east of central […]

The Next Steps

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December marked the beginning of conversations about the plans we want to achieve in the year 2022. These plans were given more form after the two focus groups that took place at Village Square Leisure Centre. The focus groups helped to clarify which specific barriers need the most attention in the Calgary sport landscape. Reducing […]

Sport for Newcomers Hamilton – The Journey Begins!

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After a long wait, the Sport for Newcomers Initiative (S4N) is set to begin. Myself, along with the local youth are very excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to begin. We have started to develop plans with our host partner YMCA Hamilton Burlington Brantford. Hello, my name is Ronald Hollingsworth and I am the new SportWORKS […]

Getting to Know the Community

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November has come and gone by as faster than the speed of light. This last month has been filled with meetings and planning the upcoming focus groups for newcomer mothers and daughters (age 10-16), that are taking place on December 13th & 14th. From planning the focus groups, to introducing the Sport for Newcomers initiative […]

S4N Calgary, The Pilot Continued!

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The Sport for Newcomers initiative is back in action! After more than a year delay from the initial pilot program that was started in 2019 because of a pandemic that is not yet in our rear view, I am beyond thrilled to say that plans for programming opportunities are back! We are now in the […]

Learning to Skate

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  Hello Everyone! Another month has passed and things are picking up here in Edmonton! We are just about reaching the halfway point of the pilot project. We are happy with what has been accomplished so far, and are looking forward to all that is planned in the near future. An exciting event that took […]

Building a Solid Foundation

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Hey Everyone! It is officially a new year and we are now into Month 6 of the CGC SportWORKS Sport for Newcomers Pilot here in Toronto. I am very excited to let you know about what has been happening here in the Jane/Finch community! Over the last 6 weeks, our soccer program has taken some […]

Bittersweet Goodbyes

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It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog post as my time in Turks and Caicos has come to an end. Fortunately, I was able to finish it off strong with a successful Festive Fun Day Fundraiser hosted by the club which brought in members of the community to celebrate the upcoming […]

Sport – A Universal Language

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  Exciting things are happening in Edmonton! It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve started working as a SportWORKS officer and time is moving by so quickly! It’s been a great learning experience so far as I’ve been working with the staff at Action for Healthy Communities, researching, and meeting with many different sport organizations. As an […]

Farewell to Turks and Caicos

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Hello All, I cannot believe how the time has flown, 13 weeks has passed in the blink of an eye. It seems only a few weeks ago we got down here and started to coach the athletes. Each session I’ve had, weekend or in school, has shown tremendous growth in rugby skills and social development […]

Developments in Providenciales

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Hello All, Can you believe another month had come and gone already? October 2019 is now in the books and what a month it has been for us down here in Turks and Caicos. We’ve seen steady participation numbers for our Saturday sessions and the skill levels of participants is increasing with each passing week, […]

Time Flies…

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Well, it’s crazy to say but another month has flown by and this incredible experience is half over, I guess the old saying “time flies when you’re having fun” is true. It comes as no surprise that the month of October was filled with just as much adventure as the month of September. After speaking […]

Upcoming Events and Future Plans

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Hey Everyone! I can’t believe that it has already been over two months since the pilot began and I’ve started working out of the The Spot – Jane Finch Centre as a SportWORKS Officer for the Sport for Newcomers Initiative. We are officially now right in the thick of it and exciting things are on […]

1st Month in Turks

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All, My name is Grant Baillie and I am one of the SportWORKS Officers with the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union here in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. So far, I have been here for four weeks and just starting to get the lay of the land and used to some of the differences […]

Just Getting Started

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Coming at you live from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. This first month has absolutely flown by, it feels like just yesterday I was getting on a plane in Halifax excited for what was in store and here I am a month later, I am even more excited to see what each day will bring. […]

Newcomers Play a New Game

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A major highlight for some of our newcomers is seeing a team like the Oilers play in Edmonton, but where can they go and play? The barriers to sport make hockey a sport that they see but can’t or rarely play. This past weekend, most newcomers in the neighborhood came to experience a cultural event […]

So Long, Eswatini

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Just like that, three months are in the books. As I organize my things in preparation to continue my journey, the memories I’ve made from my experiences in Eswatini are all flowing back. At this point, I’m just glad I can keep those memories with me and don’t need to make room for them in […]

C’est La Vie

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Where do I begin . . . I can’t believe that my time here in The Turks and Caicos Islands is coming to an end. This last month has gone by in a blink of an eye and it has been jammed packed with adventure. July marked the start of rugby day-camps that were held […]

Olympic Day Fun and More!

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Sawubona readers, Our third Olympic Day is complete! After hosting events in Mbabane and Kukhanyeni two weekends ago, the EOCGA team executed our final edition of the event this past weekend in Siteki. The support we received was overwhelming (in a good way), and this was especially so in the Siteki community. Between the three […]

Carpe Diem

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This past month has been a busy one and I can’t believe that my time here in Turks and Caicos is more than halfway done. Since I have become more comfortable with the layout of the land, I have made it my mission to venture out more and try new things. I have been lost on […]

Beautiful By Nature

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They say time flies when you’re having fun… I cannot believe that it has already been a month since I have arrived in Turks and Caicos. I am so grateful for this opportunity, not only to see such a beautiful part of the world but also to be working so closely with the locals. My […]

‘Til We Meet Again

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Wow… it is crazy how fast time flies here in Turks and Caicos! It feels like just yesterday I was getting off the plane, feeling both nervous and excited for what was to come, and now I am reflecting on my final month here in TCI. The month of March has been incredibly different from […]

Goodbye TCI

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It is pretty crazy to think that my time in TCI is coming to an end. Working up until this internship time couldn’t move fast enough because I was so eager to get started with the TCIRFU, now I wish time would slow down so I could soak up every second I have left on […]

The Adventures of Jabu and Busi Come to an End

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Hello everyone, our time here is quickly ending but we wanted to share with you some of our last adventures before we leave! The following weekend after our Kruger trip, we went to the Malolotja Nature Reserve. On the way there, our guide showed us to Maguga Dam which is the only dam in Eswatini […]

Oh yes, its a wonderful day

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Hello everyone, Jabu here!  It looks like time has flown by on us and we are down to the last month here in Eswatini! The past two weeks we have been busy with our Futbol Net tournaments that was discussed in our last blog post.  We have officially finished our four tournaments for Futbol Net […]

The Adventures of Jabu and Busi Continue

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Hello Everyone, Jabu and Busi here! Another busy and eventful couple weeks have passed for Narissa (Busi) and I (Jabu), and we have a lot of adventures to catch you all up on! In the middle of February we had the opportunity to see some familiar faces from Canada as we travelled to visit Paul […]

Whoa, we’re halfway there

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Sanibonani everyone, Un jani? (How are you?) Ngiyaphila (I’m fine) Another month has come and gone, and I am now halfway through my internship here in Eswatini. Since my last blog post I have been working on several different tasks in the office and at the Olympafrica Centre (OAC).  We have three major events coming up […]

Welcoming BrockU in Month #2

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The phrase “time flies when you’re having fun” has never  meant so much to me until being in TCI. This month has easily been the most challenging but the most rewarding 4 weeks of my life.  I was not only a teacher to the TCI youth but this month was also focused on becoming a […]

Brock the World

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Time really does fly here in TCI, especially when you are playing host to 23 students and faculty from Brock University! This past month has been primarily dedicated to the Brock University students’ arrival and the two programs that are the focus of their time in Turks and Caicos—the Brock University Achievement Through Sport Initiative […]

Ready…Set…Provo

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Hello from the beautiful island of Turks and Caicos!! Coming to Turks and Caicos seemed pretty surreal, it didn’t really sink in until I stepped off the plane wearing a sweater and leggings and got immediately hit with the TCI heat… pretty sure my sunburn kicked in the second the sun hit my Canadian skin. […]

Living the Dream in TCI

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Wow—what an incredible and hectic month its been here in Turks and Caicos! When Breanne and I first arrived on January 4th, I could not believe how beautiful it is here and how fortunate we are to be given this opportunity. The first few days as interns for the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union […]

The adventures of Jabu and Busi begin

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Along with keeping busy at work for the past few weeks, we have packed our weekends full of activities (when the weather allows us to).  Our first weekend here Janice (our landlord) invited us to join her family at church! It was a great service with lots of singing.  After service we socialized with some […]

Greetings from our new (snow free) Kingdom

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 Sanibonani (Hello) everyone! After a very long (and unplanned) 52 hours of travelling and 2 hotel visits, I have arrived in the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini! I have now been here for 2 weeks and have adjusted to living here quite nicely. In this blog Narissa and I will both briefly talk about what we […]

Thank You TCI

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My role of Sport Development Officer for the TCIRFU is slowly coming to an end and all I can say is thank you. Thank you to SportWORKS, Brock University, QESI, and the TCIRFU for providing me with the experience of a lifetime. This internship has given me a new perspective about the power that sport […]

Bringing Home the Swazi Spirit

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Hi Everyone! I can’t believe that the month of November, my last full month in Swaziland, has come to a close. Very soon I’ll be swapping the African sun for Canadian snow! With only a couple weeks left, I’ve been working to finish up my assignments in the office, continue learning about and experiencing other sport organizations […]

Time flies when you’re having fun

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The month of October has come to an end quicker than I could have ever imagined, the adage “time flies when your having fun” has held true throughout my time in the Turks and Caicos. It’s the halfway point of my internship and it has been one of the most valuable and memorable experiences of […]

Learning the Swazi Ways

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Hey Everyone! I was told again and again how quickly time goes by when you’re here, but I don’t think I was prepared for just how fast time really does fly! I’ve now been in Swaziland for two months and while I’ve still got another month and a half, I’m already planning my next trip […]

A Royal Welcome

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Sanibonani (hello) everyone! Wow, my first few weeks in Swaziland have flown by! Although I faced some not so lovely flight complications at the beginning of my trip and 3 long days of travel, I arrived in this beautiful country where I was immediately welcomed with so much warmth and generosity. I was definitely a little overwhelmed […]

Arrival

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Getting Settled   I arrived in Turks and Caicos on September 1st, 2018 and could not believe that I was here. I could not believe that, for the next 3 months, I would be able to call this beautiful, tropical island my home. It all seemed so surreal until I had walked out of the […]

Sport brings us together!

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By: Matt Milligan Hello everyone! Another month has flown by here in Swaziland, we have been very busy working on our assignments, helping to organize Olympic Day, making friends and creating memories. As Jon and I worked diligently on our assigned projects, we have been able to spend a few days per week at the […]

Legends Week was Legendary

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By: Raiven de Souza This past week is definitely one for the books! Not only did the rugby union hold their annual legends week, my friends came down to visit and helped me celebrate my 21st birthday island style. Every year, two retired professional rugby players from Europe come to TCI to take part in […]

The Spirit of Swaziland!

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By: Jonatan Osorio De Leon Hello readers, family, and friends back home Jonatan here! Un Jani! (How are you!) One month down already? Man, how quickly time flies. First off, I’m glad to say that I feel as if I have fully adapted to living here in Swaziland and boy oh boy has it ever […]

It’s Been Great – Nuff Said!

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By: Raiven de Souza Just when I thought my time at Brock University couldn’t get any better, they provided me the opportunity to be an intern with the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union (TCIRFU). It has now been three weeks since I landed in Providenciales and I have loved every moment of it. […]

You Can Dance, You Can Jive, Having the Time of Your Life (in Swaziland)

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By: Benjamin Kent Sawubona Readers! Wow, the end of March already! It’s amazing to look back at all of the fun times I have had so far and, since my blog post about my Safari, work has been getting more hectic– but in a fun-filled way! Preparation for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018) […]

There’s More to See Than Can Ever be Seen (in Swaziland)

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By: Benjamin Kent Sawubona Readers! Just another update from here in Swaziland. Work has been pretty hectic as of late, preparing for the Swaziland National Team to depart for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in less than 2 weeks! The preparation has involved me continuing the work of Nick by preparing a referral handbook for […]

When the Weather’s Fine, We go Fishing or go Swimming in (Swaziland)

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By: Benjamin Kent Sawubona Readers!! This is the second of two back-to-back posts I have! I felt that there was so much more I could talk about, both in terms of work and an exciting experience I had this past weekend. There was some rain this past weekend, but despite rain’s normal tendency to “rain on […]

Hello, is it (Swaziland) you’re looking for.

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By: Benjamin Kent Hello and Sawubona from Swaziland!! It has been just over 1 week since I arrived in Manzini and travelled here to Mbabane. I think I just got used to the time change today, the jet lag was more difficult to conquer than I thought it would be. After about 28 hours of travel, […]

Sweetest Goodbye

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By Nick Hayman: Sawubona! It’s been a while but Swaziland has offered me many more new and exciting experiences. It’s currently my last week at work and I’ll be finishing up my big school project on the wheelchair basketball program the following week. Most of my work the last month or so has been around […]

October Rain

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By Nick Hayman: Hi there, Nick here with some more Swazi shenanigans. It’s been quite a slow past 3 weeks around the office as there have not been too many events scheduled and it has been raining almost all the time. I’d estimate that 2 of every 3 days I’ve been here it rained at […]

Saying Goodbye to Botswana

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By: Elizabeth Kujbida Dumela everyone, for the final time! It’s been a little over a month since my internship with the BNOC wrapped up, and three weeks since I’ve been back in Canada so I figured it was probably due time that I wrapped up my final blog too! The last month and a bit […]

All of These Things That I’ve Done

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By Nick Hayman: Sawubona and hello; Nick here, or as they now call me in Swati, Sipho (“Seep-Fow”, it means “Gift” in Swati). 2 weeks in and the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA) have thrown me right into the fire with events of many kinds. Let’s dig right in. One of the first […]

Successful Tournament and Lots of Goodbyes

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By Trevor Teeuwsen: Dumela, My internship is now officially complete and I am back home safely in Canada. I had a truly unforgettable experience in Botswana and I will miss all the amazing people I met, but it is also good to be back in Canada with friends and family. Our last week in Botswana was […]

An Unforgettable Experience!

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By Matthew Hagopian: Sawubona, It’s been quite a while since I last posted in this blog, but I would like to recap on what took place during my final few weeks with SOCGA. If you have been following this blog then you would already have known about the adventure I set off to do with […]

Gonna Take Some Time To Do The Things I Never Have

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By Nick Hayman: Sawubona and hello! After a longwinded journey from Toronto to Mbabane which included planes, trains, automobiles and a rather strange part of Frankfurt, Germany (Maybe I should have just stayed in the airport for that layover…), I’ve finally made it. My first 4 days in Swaziland have only involved settling in, as […]

Getting Set for the Beach Volleyball Tournament

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By Trevor Teeuwsen: Dumela everybody, As I write this, I have only eight days left in Gaborone now. My internship has been an amazing experience and I am filled with a lot of mixed emotions about having to leave so soon. Botswana has definitely left its mark on me and I hope my stay here […]

TCI: July in Review

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By Ryan Sutton: July marked the official start of my Young Flamingos Rugby Summer Camp; an official branding I gave name to in order to generate a little more appeal. Starting a camp is a lot more work than anticipated, especially in a foreign country. In doing so, I had to create registration forms, flyers […]

Lots to tell, but all went well!

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By Matt Spina: Hello again everyone! What a crazy, crazy month. I really can’t believe 30 days have passed since my last post. Shortly after our “Canada Day” celebration, the hours became longer and longer until we reached a point where we were spending less time at home per day than the office. This was […]

We Came, We Planned, We Did It!

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By Emily Stratford: Hi everyone, The time has come that I write my final blog post. 63 countries, 982 athletes, 9 sporting disciplines, 6 days of competition… we did it!!! On July 14th we began welcoming teams into beautiful Nassau. Over the course of 4 days Geordie, Luke, Matt, and I met with all of the […]

Less Than A Month To Go!

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By Elizabeth Kujbida: Dumela everyone! I’m having the hardest time wrapping my head around the fact that my time in Botswana is only 25 days away from being over. It feels like almost yesterday that we first touched down in this beautiful country! Since Trevor’s last update two weeks ago, our workload has really increased […]

Wrapping up the Events!

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By Matthew Hagopian: Sawubona! It’s becoming very hard to believe that I will be leaving in roughly one more month. It feels like this internship is just flying by. With that being said, I think I can comfortably say that I’m taking advantage of each and every day that I’m spending here. Work has been […]

Sand, Big Cats, and a Bigger Hill

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By Trevor Teeuwsen: Dumela! We have now been in Botswana for just over two months and the time continues to fly by. There are only 5 weeks left and it feels like there is still so much left to do here. A lot has happened over the last two weeks since Elizabeth’s last update. Our […]

TCI: June in Review

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By Ryan Sutton: The month of June was extremely kind to me. Throughout the whole month I watched as all of my hard work turned into well run tournaments, exciting community outreach programs, and sponsorships that supported the U19 teams new jerseys. As I alluded to in my May blog, I had a few things […]

Calm Before The Storm

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By Emily Stratford: Hey everyone! I can’t believe it’s already been 2 months since I touched down in Nassau. Time is flying and work is busy but I’ve been making sure to make the most of everyday. A big task for the month of June has been conducting pre-DRMs (Delegation Registration Meeting) with all participating countries […]

There and Back Again…

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By Matt Spina: Hello everyone! Though I intended to update you all a lot more often, work and life seems to have its way of getting in the way. Since we last posted much has happened in our world. I will stick to the items that I was responsible/working on over the past month to […]

Beach Volleyball, BLTAD, and Exploring Botswana!

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By Elizabeth Kujbida: Dumela everyone! It’s been about two weeks since our last update (a month since my last one), and we’ve officially been in Gaborone for just under 2 months. I absolutely cannot believe how fast time is going by so far! These past two weeks have been a pretty exciting one in terms […]

Discovering a New Passion!

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By Matthew Hagopian: Sawubona, This will be my second blog post after being here for just over one month and finally settling here in Mbabane, Swaziland. I think I am officially feeling at home here. I’ve met tons of people by just greeting everyone I’ve walked by, and I’m starting to even get noticed by […]

TCI: May in Review

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By Ryan Sutton: May Review from TCI I arrived in Turks and Caicos on May 3rd, 2017. I left Toronto Pearson Airport when it was 5 degrees, 4 hours later I came out of the plane at a humid 30 degrees. I was then greeted by fellow rugby colleagues Franco and Acasha. They gave me […]

Working on Beach Volleyball and Exploring Botswana

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By Trevor Teeuwsen: Dumela, It’s hard to believe we have been in Gabs for almost a month. The days have been flying by despite being on Africa time now. The FIVB Beach Volleyball 1 course is now complete and all of the local coaches passed. The course was capped off with a closing ceremony where […]

One Month Already?!

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By Emily Stratford: Greetings from paradise! It’s been just under one month since Matt and I touched down in Nassau to work with the Bahamas 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games Organizing Committee. It’s hard to believe how quickly I have settled in and how much we’ve already done. I give huge thanks to the other interns, Geordie […]

Sun, Sand, Sea…..and Sports

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By Matt Spina: Hello from Nassau everyone! I apologize for the delayed first post but it has been a busy three weeks… closer to a month at this point! Emily and I landed on the 2nd of May on a rather warm evening here on New Providence Island with nothing but excitement flowing through our […]

Welcome to Botswana

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By Elizabeth Kujbida: Dumela (hello) everyone! It has been a little over two weeks since Trevor and I touched down at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, and it’s already been an amazing experience! Everyone here has been amazing and has welcomed us with open arms (and has been very understanding as we […]

Finally Landed in Swaziland!!!

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By Matthew Hagopian: Sawubona! After a few hectic days of sorting out my flights, I’ve finally made it to Swaziland! After arriving I was a bit jet lagged (having stayed up for 38 hours straight), but without a doubt very exciting having finally arrived. I was greeted outside of the airport by my new co-workers: […]

Session Round Up

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By Dante Losardo: Hey Everyone! Dumela for the last time, Things have come to an end for me at the BNOC. I’ve been finished for a few weeks now and I cannot believe that time flew by so fast. I officially finished on the 14th of last month but I spent the last few weeks […]

Call In The Reinforcements

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By Geordie Moss: It’s been a while since I last posted and how it is only becoming busier here in Nassau! My last blog I spoke about our sponsorship event at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and how exciting it was to start showcasing the amazing event that is set to come. A lot […]

Passing the Baton

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By Luke Giffen: Hi all, Luke again coming to you with my last blog before our new friends come join us in the Bahamas. Matt and Emily are scheduled to join us next Tuesday so we will let them continue the blog and describe all of the awesome things that have been happening on the island. […]

A Journey Ends

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By Alexander Longwell: Sawubona! This will be my 9th and final addition to this blog. It was an amazing journey filled with fantastic experiences and memories I will keep with me for the rest of my life. I have enjoyed every minute of being down here, especially those spent with the children, teaching them how […]

All Business

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By Luke Giffen: Hi all, Luke again. It has been a couple weeks since my last post and I just wanted to keep everyone up to date with our happenings. This marks our 12th week in paradise (my mom makes sure to keep me updated on how long I’ve been gone; she must miss me […]

Canadian Ambassadors

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By Geordie Moss: It has been just over a month since my last post and it’s crazy to think how much has happened in that short period of time. As mentioned in my last post, we were on the back-end of hosting our second site visit from our third CGA, and as Luke mentioned in […]

#lastmonthbestmonth

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By Megan Harper: Hello again from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands! It has been a month since my last post. When I think about the time that has passed it is almost a conflicting feeling; on one hand it seems like the month flew by and then on the other if I were to describe […]

Less Than a Month to Go!

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By Alexander Longwell: Sawubona, Time really does fly when you’re having fun, hard to believe that I’ll be back on Canadian soil in less than a month. But before that day comes there is still plenty for me to do. The last few weeks of March has seen us wrap up the first leg of […]

Work’n and Play’n

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By Dante Losardo: Dumela! Time has really been flying by quickly down here lately and there is still so much to do. I have just under a month left here in Botswana but it feels like I had just started yesterday. These last few weeks have been very busy between work and some vacation time […]

Cruisin’ Along

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By Luke Giffen: Hi all, Luke again. It has been a few weeks since my last post and I figure it was time to post a quick update on what has been going on over here. On the work side, since last we spoke we have had two more site visits. Team Scotland came two […]

Fun and Games

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By Alexander Longwell: Sawubona!! Hard to believe it’s March already! Only 5 more weeks left with SOCGA and I can tell it’s going to fly by like every other week has! It took a few weeks but I was finally given my Swazi name by the volunteers at the OAC. I am now called Themba […]

All Settled and Going in Gabs

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By Dante Losardo: Dumela! Hi Everyone! It’s been just over a month since I landed in Gabs and I can honestly say that I’ve adjusted and that I am feeling very comfortable in my surroundings. I can’t believe how fast time has been going so far. I’ve managed to have some great experiences in my […]

Trinidad, Here We Come!

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By Adrian Krupa: After finding a familiarity with my work schedule, school sessions, coworkers, and friends it feels like I’ve made Turks and Caicos my new home for my short time here. The Youth Rugby season is in full stride now. Six teams have been made while more children are joining. I have taken the […]

Saturday’s a rugby day!

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By Megan Harper: Hello again from Provo, TCI! It has been almost two months since I touched down on this beauty of an island. Time really does fly when you’re having fun! I continue to run rugby sessions at local schools. The schools I visit include: Wesley Methodist School (private primary and secondary), Precious Treasures […]

Taiwan Games – Teachers Training Session

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By Alexander Longwell: Hello everyone! This weekend already marks the halfway point of my internship here in Swaziland. It has been an amazing journey so far with lots of memorable experiences. The start of this week has been the toughest for me, due to the long hours and amount of work we have had. I […]

On A Roll

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By Luke Giffen: Hello again, Luke here. Has it really already been 3 weeks since last time we talked? Time is really going by quickly but don’t worry; I have a lot to tell you. As Geordie mentioned in his previous blog, we are still working towards compiling each team’s “Team Size Calculator.” As there […]

The Games, ‘Dey Comin’

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By Geordie Moss: Well it has officially been just over a month since Luke and I touched down in beautiful Nassau, and the time is already flying by! The past few weeks have been very hectic to say the least, as we’ve had two site visits from three different Commonwealth Games Association team representatives, a […]

Off the Beaten Path

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By Alexander Longwell: Sawubona! Another fantastic week in Swaziland is in the books. Last week I was kept busy finalizing the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) Action plan, designing pamphlets and invitations and writing letters to different government officials inviting them to be honorary guests at the QBR. These tasks keep me extremely busy, but is […]

1 Month Already

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By Alexander Longwell: Hello again! I’m now completing my 1st full month in Swaziland and it has been fantastic, however it hasn’t all been positive. Before I say anything else, these negatives are my own fault and have nothing to do with the country, its people or SOCGA. Long story short I lost my debit card, […]

All Settled In

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By: Alexander Longwell Sawubona! Despite the Swazi times my stay here seems to be flying by, hard to believe it’s already been 3 weeks. I’m now well into working on preparations for the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) which will be in Swaziland between May 8th and 11th 2017. My task is to write the proposal […]

The Beginning!

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By Megan Harper: Greetings from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands! Looking back at the past three weeks makes me fully understand why people drop everything to travel. I have already experienced so many opportunities, gained various new appreciations, and established several connections that are going to last a lifetime, and I still have three more […]

The Long Road Ahead

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By Luke Giffen: Hi guys, Luke again. It’s time for the monthly update on how things are going over in paradise. Geordie and I have been here for a little over two weeks now and are finally getting into the swing of things as we move towards the Commonwealth Youth Games mid July. Much of […]

Welcome to Paradise!

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By: Geordie Moss Well it’s been just over two weeks since myself and Luke touched down in Nassau, and what an experience it has been thus far – I’m still expecting to wake up in my bed in Ottawa only to realize this was all a dream! Upon arrival, we were picked up by our […]

Touch Down in Africa

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By: Alexander Longwell         It took some time but I finally made it to Swaziland. I arrived at the King Mswati III airport around 11am last Saturday January 14th after taking a few very long flights from Toronto. When I arrived I was greeted by Dalton Dlamini, OAC coordinator and a few […]

My First Week in Gabs

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By Dante Losardo: Dumela! Hello Everyone! Its been just over a week now since I touched down in Gaborone, Botswana. After a long trip (over 33 hours total), including layovers in Munich and Johannesburg, I finally made it to my home for the next few months. After arriving I had some time to unpack and […]

The Next Step

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By Chris Mazza: Dumela! After four very short months, my African adventure has officially come to an end. After concluding my work with the BNOC and saying goodbye to some incredible people, my family joined me for a Christmas trip around southern Africa. The last post included pictures and insight into the learn-to-swim project, as well […]

My Next Chapter – Nassau

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By Luke Giffen: This Friday marks the moves of Geordie and I to Nassau to support the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Games. While it’s certainly not like Kevin Durant’s new chapter in Golden State, I think this is still a very important step! While we are unsure about the details of exactly what we will be […]

Christmas is Less than a Month Away…

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By Rob Hinschberger: This past weekend we had two workshops take place at the Centre. One involved Education USA through their Embassy in Swaziland that offered information of scholarship opportunities. The one that SOCGA held was a leadership forum for Women in Sport. It was impressive to see 53 ladies sign up and commit to […]

As Promised

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By Chris Mazza: Dumela! Just over two months have passed since I arrived in the beautiful country of Botswana, and as promised, I have plenty of pictures and videos to share with you. At the end of my last post, I eluded to the beginning of our learn-to-swim lessons with participants from the SOS Children’s Village and […]

Hello from Provo!

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By Adrian Krupa: Hello from Provo! Immediately after landing in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, I had a chance to meet many people in the rugby community at the monthly executive meeting. I was quickly accepted with warm welcomes, and met many of the coaches, players, and management of Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football […]

Swaziland Adventure Continues

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By Rob Hinschberger: October is known as tourism month in Africa and I was able to get my fair share of adventure in! While Bombaso’s has been fairly quiet and empty, I have had the pleasure of getting to know a couple South African gentlemen, Henrik and Danni, who have been working here for a […]

Bot 50, Braais, and the BLTAD

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By Chris Mazza: Dumela! I am approximately 40 days into my African adventure, and my list of experiences continues to grow! When I concluded my last post, I made note of a special celebration set to occur for the celebration of Botswana’s 50th anniversary of independence. Well, this was quite the weekend in the country’s capital, […]

As Advertised

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By Rob Hinschberger: Good day! You hear it from other Scholars on how quickly your time will move but nonetheless, it is surprising to think I’ve worked five weeks with SOCGA. We have been hit with some cool and rainy weather, particularly on the weekends during free time, so I have been a bit limited […]

Week One In The Books

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By Chris Mazza: Dumela (hello) everyone! It has been just over a week since I arrived in Gaborone, and already I have enjoyed so many unique and exciting experiences! Luckily the people in the city are very friendly, as everyone has welcomed me with open arms and helped me out whenever necessary! My travel from Canada […]

My New Home

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By Rob Hinschberger: Sawubona! After 20 hours of flights, 10 hours of layover, and 200 Rand in overweight luggage, I arrived at King Mswati III International Airport in Swaziland, Africa!! My first mistake and laugh occurred two minutes after being greeted by Dalton, a friendly and soon to be co-worker at the Olympicafrica Center. Heading […]

That’s a Wrap

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By Kimmy Lennon: Hello everyone, Wow a lot has happened since my last blog post and I can now say that I’ve completed the majority of the things on my bucket list. I’m leaving a week today so I guess this is as good as it’s going to get! Anyway, I was able to explore […]

Saying Goodbye to Swaziland

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By Mitch McSweeney: Sadly, the end of mine and Jenna’s internship in Swaziland is nearing an end and we will be departing back to Canada in two weeks time. It will be sad to say goodbye to the culture and lifestyle we have become immersed in, the beautiful country we have spent the past four […]

The Final Stretch

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By Caity Mallett: Hi Everyone, I can’t believe I have only a couple weeks left of my summer in Turks and Caicos, it has been incredible to say the least! I’ve met so many great people and had wonderful experiences during my internship. Recently I’ve been busy organizing and running the TCIRFUs first ever summer […]

The Final Month

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By: Jenna Brown I can’t believe Mitch and I have 3 weeks left in Swaziland! Although May seems so far away from when we first arrived, these last 3 months have flown by, as will the last 3 weeks. We have made so many great friends here, and it won’t be easy to say goodbye […]

Olympic Anticipation

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By Andrew Badeau: Hello everyone, July has passed in record time. I cannot believe that I will be leaving Botswana in less than a month. The Botswana Taekwondo Federation hosted their fourth and final coaching module and it was a tremendous success. All nine of our coaches graduated from the program. The next ten potential […]

A Once In A Lifetime Experience

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By Mitch McSweeney: Sawubona! It is now the month of July and there is only about five weeks left until Jenna and I complete our internships and return to Canada. As usual, it has been extremely busy at SOCGA and a ton has happened since I posted last. To begin, the OlympAfrica Centre (OAC) has […]

All Things Rugby

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By Caity Mallett: Hi Everyone, These past few weeks have been incredibly busy at the TCIRFU (Turks and Caicos Island Rugby Football Union), this past Saturday we held a Beach Rugby Tournament which was a great success. There were 6 mens teams which made for great competition on the beach, as well as the women […]

It’s Carnival Time!!

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By Kimmy Lennon: Hello everyone, It’s carnival season in St. Vincent and the island is more exciting than ever before! Carnival is a huge Caribbean celebration that takes place throughout the month of June, however the main festivities officially start this Friday and I’m really looking forward to experiencing this part of their culture. I […]

Olympic Day Fun!

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By Jenna Brown: Sawubona! The past couple of weeks have been packed with so much work and fun, I don’t know where to start! As I’ve mentioned, our office was getting ready for Olympic Day events in three communities – Siphofaneni, Mbabane and Lobamba. The events were attended by more than 2,000 participants in total, […]

Festivals and Springboks

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By Andrew Badeau: Hello everyone, Another month has flown by! It has been a busy time here in Botswana. To start the month, the BNOC organized a Youth Sports Festival in Selebi-Phikwe for the weekend of June 10-12. Phikwe is a small mining community about 4 hours north of Gaborone. Some staff members and I […]

Time Flies

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By Mitch McSweeney: Hi Everyone! It’s now been one month and a bit since Jenna and I have been in Swaziland, and it has really picked up at the SOCGA offices and the Olympafrica Centre. I’ve been going back and forth between the SOCGA and OAC offices, and last weekend I was a part of […]

Getting into the swing of things

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By Caity Mallett: Hi everyone, I can’t believe it’s June, and it’s almost been a month since I arrived. Slowly but surely things are starting to pickup here. I’ve started securing weekly rugby sessions with a few of the schools around the islands including Raymond Gardiner High School on North Caicos every Saturday after the […]

Approaching One Month!

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By Jenna Brown: I can’t believe it’s almost been a full month since Mitch and I arrived in Swaziland! We have been quite busy since our last blog post, so here’s what I’ve been up to. The SOCGA office is currently organizing Olympic Day for the end of June. The event focuses on getting everyone […]

And the Journey Continues

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By Andrew Badeau: Hey everyone, I can’t believe I have already been here for almost a month. The time is flying by so far. I am definitely feeling more comfortable now that I have adjusted to the jet lag and acclimatized myself. It has gotten chillier here now in the evenings. During the day however, […]

Soaking up the heritage in “Heritage Square”

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By Kimmy Lennon: It’s hard to believe that I have been here for almost a month! It took me a little longer than expected to settle in, but I am finally starting to feel right at home. Everyone at the committee has been incredibly kind and helpful which is making my experience very enjoyable. Nicha […]

Welcome to Swaziland

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By Mitch McSweeney: Aloha – no, wait, that’s not right – Sawubona! Ligama lami ngingu Mitch (My name is Mitch) and I am the other SportWORKS Officer in Swaziland along with Jenna. We have been here for just about two weeks up to this point, and I can hardly describe everything we have done, or […]

Turks and Caicos Week One

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By Caity Mallett: Hi Everyone, It’s officially been a week since I arrived in the beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands. I’m living on the island Providenciales (or Provo locally), which is the third largest in area and most populated of the islands. Safe to say it’s been a whirlwind since I arrived. I flew out […]

First week in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

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By Kimmy Lennon: It’s a week today since I’ve arrived in the beautiful island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I received a warm welcome from everyone at the Olympic Committee and look forward to working with them for the next few months. My mom came for the first week to help me settle in […]

First Week in Botswana

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By Andrew Badeau: Hello everyone, It is still surreal to me that I will be spending the next three months in Botswana. It still feels like yesterday that I was applying to the Queen Elizabeth Scholars program. I will admit that I was sad to leave my family and friends back home but I look forward […]

Week One in Swaziland

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By Jenna Brown: Sawubona! It has been officially one week since Mitch and I arrived in Swaziland. After two days of travel, we arrived in the country last Friday, where we were met at the airport by Dalton and Bandile, two members of the Olympafrica Centre in Lobamba. They greeted us warmly, and showed us […]

Finishing Off my Work and Travelling North

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By Jarrett Costron: There are only 21 days until I am back in Canada.  In other words, it has been 77 days since I jumped on a plane and embarked on what has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life.  Moving across the world, away from family and friends, has certainly been […]

March Madness: The Home Stretch Now

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By Jamie Worboys: ** Check me out in the local newspaper at the Track Association of SVG’s Annual Awards Ceremony (bottom right image) March is almost done. This means that my internship is about to wrap up and I head back home! Throughout the month I volunteered my time coaching five year old kids the […]

Packed Stadiums, Cattle Posts, and Car Troubles

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By Jarrett Costron: On March 20th-21st we will be having our second grassroots coaching module.  As a result, a portion of the last couple of weeks have been spent preparing for the second module.  Thankfully, organizing the module has been a lot less stressful than organizing the first.  Not only do I have way more […]

SOCGA February Recap

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By Rachel Ivey: This month was pretty busy for us at the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association. Thankfully, we had Megan, a former Australian Olympic Committee employee, volunteering in the office for 3 weeks to help us out. These are the main things that we have been working on. Sport Values 4 Life Festival […]

February’s Progress: Both Opportunities and Challenges

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By Jamie Worboys: Interning for SVGOC has provided me with many opportunities along with challenges. Being a young undergraduate student I have begun to apply the knowledge I have attained from Sport Management at Brock University to help the sport system of SVG. I have spent my days in the office assisting various community based […]

BLTAD Module 1

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By Jarrett Costron: Two weeks ago we hosted the first module of our Botswana Long Term Athlete Development (BLTAD) grassroots coaching programme. All ten coaches that registered showed up on each day of the seminar and successfully graduated by the end of the fifth and final day. Overall the module was a success and we […]

CANOCs S4L Symposium

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By Jamie Worboys: Last night I was invited to a meeting that was based on the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) Sport for Life Symposium which focuses on LTAD and Physical Literacy. Mr. Joseph, the General Secretary of SVGOC, led the meeting while many others attended.  Affiliates from specific Ministries of Government attended […]

My First Rugby Sessions

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By Brennen Guy: Working for the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union has allowed me to travel throughout some of the islands in Turks and Caicos. As the Rugby Development Officer my main job is to teach rugby sessions within schools in Turks and Caicos. My first rugby sessions took place on the island […]

The Work Begins

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By Jarrett Costron: A few days after going over the program with the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and Botswana Taekwondo Federation (BTF). The BTF decided that, given their needs, our original action plan regarding how to begin implementing the Botswana Long Term Athlete Development plan (BLTAD) within their federation was inappropriate.  As a result, […]

The Only Time is Island Time…

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By Jamie Worboys: Interning for St. Vincent and the Grenadines Olympic Committee (SVGOC) under Commonwealth Games of Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Scholars Initiative has been nothing but an exciting yet challenging experience. Seeing as I came into this internship position not knowing what to expect, I really had no expectations. When I first walked into the […]

Meeting the Olympafrica Volunteers

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By Rachel Ivey: Sawubona! This week, I went to our committee’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Olympafrica Sports Development Centre in Lobamba. The AGM is where the SOCGA Executive Board summarizes the last year and gives recommendations for the future. There were representatives from each of the National Sport Associations present. I was able […]

Representing Rugby in Turks and Caicos

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By Brennen Guy: On January 21st, 2016 I was honored with representing the sport of rugby in Turks and Caicos at the Turks and Caicos Islands Sport Commission meeting. Through this meeting I had the opportunity to meet more than 20 representatives from a variety of different sports in Turks and Caicos, all with the passion for […]

I’ve Already Been Here for a Week

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By Rachel Ivey: The first week of my SportWORKS internship at the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA) has been very busy. I feel like I’ve done so much since I’ve been here. Here’s a list of some tasks I’ve completed: Created an action plan and volunteer application forms for the Sport Values 4 […]

First Couple Weeks at TCIRFU

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By Brennen Guy: Hi Everyone! This is my first post on the SportWORKS blog. My name is Brennen Guy and I am writing this blog from the Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union (TCIRFU) in Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos. My job with the TCIRFU is the Youth Development Officer for the sport of rugby in […]

And We’re Off!

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By Jarrett Costron: Upon landing in Gaborone I was greeted at the airport by leaders from both the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and Botswana Taekwondo Federation (BTF).  After brief introductions and a small meal, Tapiwa, my BNOC supervisor, as well as Edwin, another BNOC employee, took me to my accommodations so I could get […]

First Couple of Days at the SOCGA

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By Rachel Ivey. Hey Everyone! This is my first post on the SportWORKS blog. My name is Rachel and I am writing this blog from the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association office in Mbabane, Swaziland. I arrived in Swaziland on January 15 after 3 flights and 29 hours worth of travel. I spent my […]

Day One on the Job

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By Jamie Worboys: Today is my first day on the job. I walk into the small and cozy office nervous about what I will be challenged with. I am fully aware of the main problems that face sport within SVG and it is now my turn to take the wheel of the last intern. I […]

And So It Begins…

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By Jamie Worboys: Imagine viewing the clear blue waters where they meet the white sand beach encircling the entire island of your new life,internship, and adventure from a 24 seater propeller plane. Welcome to the Caribbean. Specifically Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines where for the next three months I will be proudly interning for […]

I Can’t Believe it’s Time!

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By Jarrett Costron: Last summer I was selected to complete a semester long internship in Botswana as a part of the Queen Elizabeth Scholars and SportWORKS initiatives.  To be honest, leading up to my departure I have felt an array of emotions, both positive and negative, about leaving my home and embarking on an adventure […]

Sport Values 4 Life Begins

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By Amanda MacKenzie: Our first session of the Leaders in Training runoff program Sport Values 4 Life program is complete.  The first 5 days consisted of teaching them about: The role of a coach Safety Organization Planning Leadership Teaching and learning Nutrition HIV, AIDS and life skills Each day they participants learned a new skill […]

The TCIRFU

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By Courtney Tinkler: I could not be more upset that my time in the Turks and Caicos with TCIRFU has come to an end. The last three and half months have flown by and i’ve had the absolute best time, and I have my rugby family to thank for that. From day one everyone in […]

TCIRFU Inter School Tag Tournament

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By Courtney Tinkler: This past Saturday the TCIRFU hosted an inter school tag tournament for the primary and secondary schools in TCI. This was considered to be my major project over the time that I was on Island. Overall the day was very successful with great competition, lots of spectators and good sportsmanship shown by […]

Let the Games Begin

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By Amanda MacKenzie: I have been at the Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA) for 3 months now. I have been able to attend many kids workshops that they call Positive Play Days (PPDs). The first one I attended was called the Mbabane 2015 Child Health Day. It took place at the Prince of […]

Adventures in Turks and Caicos

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By Courtney Tinkler: Hey Everyone! I am currently the SportWorks Officer working in the Turks and Caicos Islands as the Development Officer for Turks and Caicos Islands Rugby Football Union (TCIRFU). I have been on Island for 3 months now and I am definitely not the same person I was when I arrived back in September. […]

Life in St. Vincent

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By Ian Bottum: Hi everyone, I have been in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for just over three months now, and it is hard to put into words all of the things I have learned and experienced. Being in a developing country is full of challenges but it is amazing how the things that seemed […]

The Road So Far

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By Michael Small: I would much rather fill my life up with experiences, rather than things…things are nice to have but do nothing for me and are just for show…Experiences make your life rich and give you a story to tell – Dana Linn Bailey I have been trying to live my life by this […]

Thanks from the LOC for a job well done!

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This pilot Queen Elizabeth Scholars’ project was completed before this blog site was implemented, so Lindsay’s and Erin’s adventure was chronicled through emails and Skype chats. Their stellar work to help ensure the Games’ success was reflected in the Local Organizing Committee’s (LOC’s) thank you in the Post Games Report. This was testament to Lindsay’s […]