A new Gender Equality curriculum has been launched by the Tonga Just Play Programme during a two-day training at the Home of Football conducted by local Just Play Master Instructor, Lafaele Moala.
President of Tonga Football Association, Lord Ve’ehala, had the honour of officially launching the new curriculum which emphasises the importance of Gender Equality and encourages volunteers to work together to create equal opportunities for everyone in football.
A total of 16 participants were present to learn more about introducing the new curriculum into their existing programmes. Of the 16 participants, most of them are volunteers from different communities, Just Play staff and one is a full-time school teacher. Although some were new to Just Play, they had the courage to stand in front of the others to present, deliver and share ideas with the group.
According to Lafaele Moala: “I am very pleased with these new participants. I feel successful in running this training because I believe the goal has been achieved as it is focused on developing coaches’ skills and building their confidence to deliver our programme.
“Looking at these new volunteers showing commitment and engaging during the training, makes me feel happy because I understand that being new to something it is very hard to have the confidence to speak,” he said.
“Not only that, I feel happy to witness some of the participants were involved in the Just Play programme as a pathway in their career in football. I believe that one day; they will continue to deliver the Just Play programme in the future,” Moala added.
During the training, participants were to given activities such as debating, presenting and group discussion of different topics. List of topics covered in this two-day training were understanding Gender Identity and Gender Roles, developing positive relationships, the importance of setting boundaries, and Sport 2 Life language. In addition, a brief of the curriculum resources, child policy, monitoring and evaluation were all covered.
Part of the training was the practical session, which saw participants paired up and given sessions to deliver. This was to ensure that every participant has the same idea and understanding of their roles and responsibility when delivering to Government Primary and Middle schools.
Through Just Play, girls and women are given the opportunity to develop different skills and gain confidence and management capacities for programme improvement.
Participants in the two-day workshop expressed their delight at being able to deliver sessions successfully, after being unsure about abilities prior to their participation. At the end of the day, they have the confidence and willingness to work for the programme in helping children in schools to understand the importance of Gender Equality.
Acknowledging our Donors: Australian Aid, TeamUp, and UEFA Foundation for Children, UNICEF and Football Australia for all their ongoing support in helping our programme run successfully.
