The importance of planning sports programs from the ground up, starting in rural communities, stood out the most for Laisenia Seru during the TAFISA Certified Leadership Program held at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva yesterday.
Seru, who works as an assistant Sports development officer with the Fiji National Sports Commission, said the four-day workshop helped him see the link between leadership and community needs in a more practical way.
“I think one of the concepts that stood out for me was how we, at the Commission, already conduct community-based programs mainly in villages and rural settings,” he said.
The module on wellness and age-appropriate sports programs was particularly relevant to his work in the central rural division, which includes Naitasiri, Serua, Namosi and Rewa.
Seru said the workshop also challenged how he thought about leadership, especially when it came to barriers like race, gender and limited resources.
“One thing that really made me think differently was the discussion around the barriers, not just racial but also gender-based, that affect how programs are delivered and how inclusive they are,” he said.
The training gave him a new perspective on how to deliver sports activities.
“It made me stop looking at it from just an educator’s perspective. Now I’m thinking more from the participant’s side, what their needs are and how to plan better around that.”
Seru said the timing of the course training couldn’t have been better.
His team is preparing for a youth program next week, and he already plans to include a stronger focus on support for vulnerable groups, including children and raise awareness on drug use and HIV.
A certified Oceania Sports Education Programme (OSEP) educator, Seru also hopes to bring what he learned into the courses he runs under the OSEP.
“Learning about leadership, timelines and competence has lifted me to another level,” he said.
“But the biggest takeaway was learning from others. The sharing of ideas helped us see things from new angles.”
