SPORT FOR LIFE! TRINIDAD & TOBAGO CENTRE LAUNCH AT QUEEN’S PARK OVAL

Sport for Life! Trinidad and Tobago – a non-profit organization, on Tuesday March 4 th, 2009, launched its first learning centre at the Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC).

The purpose of these centres is to use the power of sport to change the lives of children who are failing to reach their full potential at school and in society. It does so through a combination of sport, education and healthy lifestyle training.

The target audience will be boys and girls aged 10-16. The core programme will be to take children for a two hour after-school or Saturday morning session which will be split between learning and sport coaching. The learning component of the programme will include specially developed curriculum material in key subjects such as English, Maths and Science, along with healthy lifestyle and leadership modules. The sport coaching, particularly at QPCC and Clarke Road will begin with cricket, but it is envisaged that other sports will be taught, depending on local circumstances and demand. By alternating tuition and sport it will be possible to cater for 40 children per session (i.e. 200 per week).

As the programme develops, there is scope for adding additional components (e.g. for children with disabilities) and for broadening the age range of participants.

The Centre will have an IT suite equipped with 20 computers and an interactive whiteboard. Children aged 10-16 will come to the centre for a two hour session which will be split between learning and sport coaching. The learning component will include specially developed curriculum material in key subjects such as English, Maths and Science, along with healthy lifestyle and leadership modules. Cricket coaching will also be provided.

The aim is, over a period, to institute a national network of learning centres across Trinidad and Tobago which will be based at a combination of cricket, football and athletics stadiums, along with community sports facilities.

Kumar Rampat has been appointed as manager of the Queen’s Park centre. He has had extensive experience in teaching, cricket coaching and the use of cricket as an educational tool. Overall management of the project will be undertaken by Andre Collins, Vice President -TTASPE.

Lord Richard Newby Chair of Live Consulting (a London based education and sport consultancy)will use his international experience of sport and education programmes to provide strategic guidance, project planning, knowledge transfer and sourcing partners, including funding partners.

An advisory board of high profile sportsmen, educators and personalities from across Trinidad and Tobago will be established.

The Academy of Sports and Leisure at UTT will undertake the monitoring and evaluation process for Sport for Life. In doing so they will draw on the experience gained by UK Sport in its international development projects and the work of Professor Fred Coalter of Stirling University.

The programme has the support of Ministries of Sport and Youth Affairs, Education and National Security, University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC), SPORTT, Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education TTASPE), QPCC, Prominent individuals including Brian Lara, Clive Pantin, the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), Unipet and Atlantic LNG; with Atlantic LNG being our major sponsor. Atlantic LNG who fund the learning centre at QPCC for at least an initial two year period.