The seal of success was stamped on the second workshop of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) which ran from January 17th to 20th 2011 in the Victoria district of Trinidad and Tobago. As anticipated it was indeed well attended by the target group of 130 principals and 90 teachers from Southern schools. Intrinsically, a “teach the teacher workshop”, the knowledge shared by facilitator and Canadian Curriculum specialist, Dr. Deanna Binder was an enlightening experience as OVEP candidates got the golden opportunity to learn versatile processes of educating students on Olympic values.
Fundamental in the Olympic philosophy is the values of joy of effort, fair play, respect for others and international understanding, pursuit of excellence and balance between body, will and mind. Therefore a programme such as OVEP which promotes these values in schools will definitely be an asset to the children of Trinidad and Tobago. Jacques Rogge, IOC President declares, in the foreword of the official OVEP toolkit written by Dr. Binder Teaching Values- An Olympic Toolkit, - “Sport brings hope, pride, a sense of identity and health, thus shaping the body and the mind. This is precisely what the International Olympic Committee with the support of ISM Company, is striving to encourage and promote through its Olympic Vales Education: using Olympic sport traditions and values as the context for teaching life values and skills.”
In view of the local leg of OVEP, Dr. Binder was impressed by the response she received from the Trinidadian audience. “The Ministry of Education and the TTOC must be commended for collaborating on such a project. OVEP equips teachers and educators with the teaching values and methodology required to stimulate positive values and behaviour in kids,” states Dr. Binder. She further endorsed the view of Rogge pinpointing sport and physical activity as the vehicle to promote positive life values for children and OVEP as the fuel for this initiative. “For a child to learn values he or she must be involved in activities which enable the practice of these values. It is important therefore that the child’s mind be stimulated. For this to occur three techniques must be considered. Firstly the imagination must be stimulated through stories, narrative and music, secondly because some children must be moving in order to learn, participation in sport and physical activity is important and lastly, teachers must create the environment where caring and compassionate behaviour and relationships can be fostered,” suggests Dr. Binder.
Hinged onto the OVEP rationale is also the belief that participation in sport and physical activity not only stimulates physical values but moral and intellectual as well. “The OVEP Programme will provide educators of T&T with the tools to shape a positive pathway for the youth in T&T. It is indeed the right direction for our nation’s children and I believe that it will be effective in transforming the fabric of our society,” avowed TTOC President, Larry Romany.
In essence, as the curtain closes on yet another OVEP workshop (the first one was held in August 2011), teachers and principals in other parts of Trinidad and Tobago eagerly await a workshop in their area as the TTOC hopes to extend the programme’s reach to all regions nationwide.