Designing a sport program in a refugee camp or a war zone requires a lot more than doing a similar program in a less turbulent environment. Sport development workers must be able to work with people who may be in a hopeless situation or have gone through the most terrible things. Even though the sport program itself is not aimed at overcoming trauma, the sport development worker will be confronted with some of the misery that sportspersons carry with them; and he/she will hear emotional tales that may come to haunt him or her. This is not always easy as the following quote illustrates:

'When I was working for MYSA it was a big shock to see all that misery at close range. It became more difficult to cope with as time went on. I had a really hard time after about four months. I found it difficult to express my emotions in a certain way (a little, or not at all) while I was at work with my direct colleagues and trying to work well with the kids. I had the feeling that I had come pretty well prepared but I am not sure whether it is possible to be prepared to such working conditions in a country like the Netherlands'. (Anneke van Drimmelen)

It is logical and unavoidable that working with traumatised sportspersons may have a bearing on the way a sport development worker functions and feels. It is important to recognise this. This, however, does not mean that nothing can be done about it. There are ways in which you can protect yourself and better manage difficult situations.

Pieter van der Houwen