"Sport has the power to change the world... It has the power to inspire.
It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.
It speaks to youth in a language they understand.
Sport can create hope where once there was only despair."
These were the words of anti-apartheid activist, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and first South African president Nelson Mandela at the Rugby World Cup in 1995. He saw the tournament as an opportunity to unite South Africa under one common goal, overcoming the best teams in the world in the pursuit of World Cup glory. At Mandela's funeral in 2013, Pienaar reflected that "when the final whistle blew, the country changed forever." Sport had become a symbol of a new, united South Africa.
This summer, I was incredibly fortunate to work at an organisation that embodied the idea that sport can change individuals and communities. The Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation is a non-profit which uses rugby as a tool for development by working with youth in the city's underserved communities. In my 11 weeks as a Program Administration intern at TIRF, I was given numerous opportunities to see the impact which the programming had on youth. I was tasked with running coaching sessions in neighbourhood improvement areas, often working with pupils from challenging backgrounds. I was responsible for KPI collection and report writing for beyond 3:30, an after-school program run by the TDSB. I also had the responsibility of registering players for Rugby Canada under the TIRF subsidy, meaning donors would pay their fees and insurance for hopefully increasing the accessibility of the game. I also had the privilege of assisting with setting up the first-ever flag rugby team at Carleton Village Public School.
One of the most moving aspects of the role was the exposure to the devastating impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the various age groups of youth. The impacts ranged from minor socialisation issues, with some children finding it challenging to work within a team environment, to more serious behavioural problems. At one school we attended for three days of activities, the headteacher spoke to us about how the principal reason she wanted us to come in was to teach their grade 5 and 6s sportsmanship, teamwork, and how to lose. The principal spoke to us about how she noticed a severe deficit of these skills amongst this age group, attributing this to the fact that they missed the introductions to team sports because they were locked down.
The issues we encountered ranged from these minor issues to more serious ones, with my colleagues and I often being exposed to youths caught up in situations with abuse, substance use and neglect. TIRF did an excellent job preparing us to adapt to these scenarios in the training week, and my supervisor was especially helpful in providing support when we were presented with particularly challenging situations. The reality is that TIRF has the most significant impact when they are focusing on underserved communities, which exposes its staff to more traumatic and difficult situations. The team at TIRF understands this and does not shy away, instead embracing it as a reality of the job and an opportunity to create change. There were instances this summer that would have been difficult to deal with without the support of my colleagues, and I am grateful to TIRF for the exposure to some harsh realities and the support which was given to us to deal with it
One of the most valuable experiences in my internship was the opportunity to write an end-of-year evaluation report for beyond 3:30, an after-school program started by the Toronto District School Board. The report focused on the support TIRF programming has given beyond 3:30 and included suggestions for mutually beneficial ways to improve the programming for 2023. On my behalf, this involved a lot of research, data collection, and testimonials from the facilitators on the front line of the program. We recognised that having pre-program touchpoints and providing healthy fuel for students before engaging in physical activity correlated with more engaging, exciting and beneficial sessions for the youth. In my research, I found a theme of staff noticing a significant increase in behavioural issues if the snack was late or of bad quality. These experiences lead to the report strongly recommending a mandatory healthy snack at the start of the sessions, so students are fuelled up for the program. The report was an excellent opportunity to apply principles that had been covered in various social entrepreneurship classes at McGill and the feedback from TDSB was very positive.
The most significant part of the summer was the relationships I formed with all my co-workers. TIRF allowed me to meet some of the best people I have had the fortune to meet. It also gave me inspiration for what I might want to do for my career. Ultimately, my summer with TIRF was incredible for both the personal and professional development and the friendships I made along the way. I am very grateful to the Carol and Lloyd Darlington Arts Internship Award and Mr. Lloyd Darlington for supporting me by providing funding and the Arts Internship Office at McGill for the workshops to help me make the most out of the summer.
