Sports Development Essay Example for Free

Sports Development Essay Within my placement period for sport development I wanted a placement that was both challenging and interesting. For me it seemed too easy to apply to my old school to teach PE. I wanted to do something with a sport that was under developed, with this in mind I secured a placement with Dance Northern Ireland the largest dancesport organisation on the island. Introduction to organisation Dance Northern Ireland is located in Holywood and was formed in 1997 with clearly defined aims,objectives and operating principles. Dance NIs role is that of facilitator and promoter of dance in general, whilst reaching out to as wide an audience as possible. The development of Dance in Northern Ireland with opportunities for the development of professional practice and performance are paramount. Also the commitment to quality, equality and accessibility for all. Dance N I has a Board of Directors with a management team lead by Director Vicky Maguire and six other salaried staff. Dance NI functions with a large volunteer base and operates on a relatively small budget of  40,076 per annum largely funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council. As an organisation they regularly seeks funding from other sources. Introduction to your role in the organisation After my initial meetings with the Director, I was placed to work with Jane Moore, the Marketing, Education and Outreach officer in the capacity of Outreach Assistant with specific duties relating to the Earthquake Festival. Role: Outreach Assistant As Outreach Assistant my function was to assist with all aspects of the marketing and education remit of Dance NI under the direction of Jane Moore. This involved planning, entry on database, collation and execution of mailshots including follow up where directed. I was personally responsible for the distribution and delivery of 5000 Earthquake mailshots (lists supplied) My role also involved personal contact with schools/colleges/organisations to liason/research any aspect that was required. The Director also asked me to perform at the press launch of Earthquake at the Waterfront and to assist on the day at the Press launch. This involved dealing with/networking with press, TV and invited dignatories. As a follow up workshops were organised at the Island Arts Centre and I took a coaching workshop on Latin American Dance and assisted with the performance evening with Ballet Lorient. Three Reports Report 1: Sport in the community Dance N Is ultimate driving force is to see equality of dance on a par with other art forms in Northern Ireland while attracting international recognition for Northern Irelands dance talent, events, school and education and professional standards. Dance N I aims to be at the forefront of dancesport development in the community, to making a significant development contribution, through which indigenous dance talent flourishes and to act as an industry led dance agency. With that said they also want to develop dance studios and are seeking a purposed built dance centre for the Northern Ireland community. Dance NI also promote the benefits of dance by demonstrating health, creative, social, spiritual aspects to all age groups and communities. This aspect of the organisation has attracted support from Ballygowan Water with their new advertisements on TV and their financial contributions. Ballygowan see Dance NI as a perfect partnership in promoting wellbeing. With Ballygowan on board this has helped with funding and sponsorship of the Earthquake festival. Dance NI facilitate access to dance in all areas and for all socio-economic and cultural groups with guidance and information source for dancesport students, professionals and the general public. Other aims of Dance N I are to facilitate training and performance, with support in schools and education. To stimulate awareness of dance through promotion in the media. Education and outreach is a large part of the Dance NI programme as this is seen as an important part of development within the local community. The Education Department run training, roadshows and masterclasses for schools and community groups. Tailored dance packages offered to schools and community groups comprising of workshops, performances, demonstrations, EMU projects, curriculum support, lectures, career information, Tasters/aferschools and an intensive 2-day package and special events. Dance NI has developed the Atlantic Dance Exchange, an international exchange for dancers in cooperation with the dance faculty of the University of Colorado at Boulder in America. Reciprocal visits will be arranged for students, tutors and practitioners. Dance NI has sucessfully lobbied for the introduction of the first degree opportunity iin Dance for Northern Ireland. Report 2: Youth Sport North West Within the company they have educational and outreach projects on going thoughout the year, theses project have moved from strength to strength over the last few years. The structure of the project cleverly overlaps, so individuals/ organisations can participate in one aspect of the project, and these inital links are built upon. so they can tap into other dance opportunities throughout the year. The audience development project is therefore not a flash in the pan, or a quick-fix answer, but is laying down strong foundations for all members of the community to enjoy and participate in many aspects of dancesport, catering for a wide range of objectives and needs. Within the project they have many roadshows, these offer primary/secondary schools, colleges and community centres within N. Ireland a tailored dancesport package operational from their site. Each of the organisations that they work for, have different aims and obectives, and DNI attempt to craft the outreach project to accommodate these, foscuing on educational, physical, social, intellectual, creative and emotional needs. The roadshows have been used for MU projects, school plays, health days, PE/Dance GCSE targets, personal development, cross-curricular projects, confidence booter, or just for pure fun! All schools/centres who have undertaken a roadshow automatically become a member of DNI, and receive regular information of other DNI opportunites throughout the year which they often avail of. These include: summer school, gala night, all Ireland Youth Dance Festival, reisidencies, Earthquake Festival, etc. The feedback from the roadshows has been outstanding from teachers, leaders and participants alike. Many schools have asked the dance tutors to stay on and teach weekly, developing sturdy foundations of dance in the heart of the school. Others have asked for choreographers to help develop skills for schools entries in dance competitions. Community centres and health organisations have requested intensive hoilday dance sessions. It is anticpated that the roadshows will prove an invaluable asset for teachers due to the change in the Northern Ireland PE curriculum.