“Ubuntu”! “I am, I, because of you and you are you because of me”.
Cath Walker, Liverpool John Moores
 
Context/Situation/Challenge
Nine ECL students from Liverpool John Moores University and 3 staff (including myself) undertook a work based learning international placement in Namibia funded by UK Sport international exchange programme.
 
In Namibia thousands of children aged 15 or under are infected by Aids and around 85,000 children have lost one or both of their parents to the disease. One of the aims of the exchange was to use traditional African games to help educate young Namibians about how to prevent the spread of the virus.
 
The placements have been organised as part of the IDEALS (International Development through Excellence and Leadership in Sport) advanced exchange programme for young people aged 18-35. This programme offers UK students the chance to gain practical experience of sports development overseas while also developing their leadership and coaching skills.
 
Five of the placement students were acting as mentors and organising sports activities for young Namibians while working as volunteers with PAY (Physically Active Youth), an Non Governmental Organisation affiliated to the University of Namibia. Two students were delivering sports activities on behalf of SCORE (Sports Coach Outreach) while the remaining two students will be helping organise the Namibian team for the Special Olympics in Shanghai later this year.
 
I was one of the key members of staff, facilitating and guiding the students and liaising with the host providers whilst on their placement.
  
Characteristics of the situation that engaged me in an immersive way
  • Supporting and dealing with the students in a very different way than in academic lectures
  • My previous work, prior to teaching in university, revolved around community sports development, therefore this placement and experience would allow me to revisit this career but in particular share valuable knowledge gained from years of delivering sport in marginalised communities.
  • The placement was in a completely different culture and the opportunity to experience personally the development of sport in another continent.
  • As a project group we were offered a unique opportunity to contributing to “make a real difference “ in empowering local communities through sport development.
  • I did not really know what to expect, so for me it was an “all or nothing” experience.
 
How I was changed (or what and how I learned)
From a staff point of view, this program would better be described as a journey, a transition for students (and staff) which expands your understanding and realm of possibilities. At the end of my three weeks in Namibia with the communities, I found myself standing back and realising I too was only beginning again as a student, but endowed with a more critical mind, and a human with a hidden perspective of the world- both natural and cultural.
 
You learn things by yourself instead of being told what you have to learn. The experience is life-changing and has the capacity to shiftperceptions, build communities, and fulfil potential of students, of staff, of placements and of communities.
 
This experience and the people we would meet along the way are the ones that can teach us so many new things, give us new knowledge that will change our view of the world, and in doing so help us to see ourselves in very different ways. It also provides an inspiration to continue to strive for equity and the success gained through hard work.
 
The fact is, our students will someday be managers, teachers and policy makers. This will help them realise that in the future, when they are making decisions, those decisions will have ramifications. There is no doubt that study abroad produces better rounded more socially aware students that are prepared to see the potential that sport can bring to many marginalised communities.
 
Descriptions of the immersive experience
Unknown smells
Magnificent landscapes
Ubuntu- “I am, I, because of you and you are you because of me”.
Journey
Pride
Satisfaction
Innovative
Independence
Maturity.
Hidden perspective
Great rewards
Realm of possibilities.
Perseverance
Sustainable
Shaped by its environment.
Dream
  
Principles and lessons to be drawn
  • Students can experience real life and make a difference.
  • That my talents and previous experiences can not only be shared in an academic environment but also are still relevant in the real world.
  • That the curriculum that we are delivering as a programme team is relevant, current and challenging for students but very appropriate.
  • We should not be surprised how effective our students are at exceeding our expectations.
  • For me as a programme team we must offer this to our students again in the next year.
  • The feeling of actually having an impact on something and sharing my skills and experiences with students and placements was a real point of re-energised me and confirmed my belief in the power of sport for “good”.
  • That the phrase. “Ubuntu”! really does hold true.



Page Information

  • 8 months ago [history]
  • View page source
  • You're not logged in
  • No tags yet learn more

Wiki Information

Recent PBwiki Blog Posts