Local perception

When you work with a sportsperson who has a trauma, trust and a good rapport constitute the only basis upon which cooperation is possible. Cultural misunderstandings may make this more difficult. So in order to work effectively with sportspersons who have had a traumatic experience, a sport development worker needs some knowledge and sensitivity as regards the cultural context. This is especially important when it comes to knowledge about the local perception of and meaning attributed to suffering, disease and death. These may differ quite a lot from the perceptions that are alive in the western world.

Observe and talk

Therefore, make sure that you have a lot of knowledge about what is seen as acceptable and not acceptable when dealing with the people who live where you work. Get to know more about many other factors, including the political situation, the economic situation, family ties, work, education, and so on. Pay a lot of attention to the actual context in which you will work. Take your time to do this. Do not jump to conclusions based on first impressions and do not start your programme straight away. Just observe and talk to the people in the field. Accept help from colleagues who know the community and the issues that may occupy people. This will also give you some idea about what kind of psychological problems may be present in sportspeople. Local people can play a vital role in all of this. Make sure that you become part of a local network of people who can help you if you get problems with one or more sportspersons, or simply when you do not understand some of their reactions. An insider will understand these things more quickly. You must, however, also be critical about who you want to be part of your network. Some people may be an interested party in whatever conflict is happening or they may have been "burdened" in another way.

From the field

'I have had very few problems with extreme situations, like someone who suddenly starts fighting or walks away. I think the main reason for this is that the trainers and coaches with whom we worked already knew the children well. A schoolteachers, a full member of a community, these are people who really know the children well and so there is no need to start creating a bond of trust from scratch. This prevents a lot of problems.' (Jo Verhaegen. He did work several agencies in sports development projects in South Africa and Sudan)