Friday 8 December 2023, Balmain, Couva
It’s safe to say that Youth Sport Camps had a significant impact on Trinidad and Tobago in 2023.
After the pandemic halted activity, the Camps returned in 2022. They expanded in 2023 to include 1,500 participants (ages 7-17) across 31 venues (17 in Trinidad and 14 in Tobago), up from ten in 2022. The Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SporTT) provided meals and refreshments to participants throughout the two-week camps.
The SporTT Sport Development Unit’s (SDU) partnership with Childline Trinidad and Tobago debuted in 2023, delivering a seminar on “Laws and Legislation Governing Child Rights and Protection”. The session will become a key feature for future editions, supporting youth development by building coaching capacity.
Venues were selected based on the type of sports they could facilitate. Communities as far as south as Mayaro, Moruga and Point Fortin, along with Petit Valley in the west and Maloney in the east, and, of course, Tobago, benefitted from exposure to 20 sporting disciplines. Boxing, swimming, tennis and basketball were among the biggest attention-grabbers.
“The camps were intended to reach children who may not have been exposed to certain sports,” explained SporTT Senior Coordinator – Sport Development, Kyome Pascall Mortley, “and to reach into communities that may not have had such sporting activities taking place.”
SporTT also used the opportunity to strengthen its partnerships with national governing bodies for sport (NGBs) and the Tobago House of Assembly. These organisations supported the camps and recommended and selected qualified participating coaches.
To the Sport Development Unit, the camps are a driving component of total participation in sport through talent identification and sport development. They also offer “a unique opportunity for children and youth to express themselves, learn new skills, and be exposed to a pathway that will integrate sport into their lives and careers in their adulthood”, according to SporTT Sport Development Officer Courtnee-Mae Clifford. Parents are already looking forward to the 2024 edition and are calling for more of these opportunities.
The vision for Youth Sport Camps is to continue to partner with NGBs and other key stakeholders to deliver physical education literacy through sporting programmes, and to expand to more underserved communities. With these programmes, specific consideration is given to the unique needs of each participating community.
The Sport Development Unit, and by extension SporTT, is grateful to all organisations and individuals who supported the 2023 Youth Sports Camps. Special thanks go out to the campers and parents for their overwhelming interest.
YSC 2023 venues
North/West
Chaguaramas, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, First Boxing Gym, (Petit Valley), Nelson Mandela Park (POS), Hasely Crawford Stadium.
Northeast/East
Morvant Community Swimming Pool, Morvant Recreation Ground, Aranguez Savannah, Eastern Regional Indoor Sports Arena (Tacarigua), Maloney Community Swimming Pool.
Central
Edinburgh 500 Recreational Ground (Chaguanas), National Cycling Velodrome (Couva).
South/Southwest
Cosmic Boxing Gym (Marabella), Mannie Ramjohn Stadium (Marabella), Mayaro Recreation Ground, Marac Recreation Ground (Moruga), Southwest Regional Indoor Sports Arena (Point Fortin).
Tobago
Pigeon Point, Bon Accord, YMCA, Turtle Beach, Plymouth, Moriah, Signal Hill, Shaw Park Courts, Shaw Park Recreation Ground, Dwight Yorke Stadium, Mt St George, Speyside, Louis D’Or, Montgomery.
YSC Disciplines
Athletics, Archery, Basketball, Boxing, Cricket, Chess, Cycling, Dragon Boat, Football, Futsal, Gymnastics, Hockey, Jump Rope, Netball, Rugby, Sailing, SNAG Golf, Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball.
