A Gower College Swansea student has returned from a four-day visit to Bulgaria as part of an Erasmus+ sports project.
The trip came about after ESOL tutors at the college were approached by ColegauCymru to see if any of their students would like to apply for the role of Youth Sports Development Ambassador (YSDA).
Marta Skoczek, who studied English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) at the Llwyn y Bryn campus before progressing on to a Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, successfully applied and was invited to Bulgaria – accompanied by ESOL lecturers Stephen Oliver and Jane John - where she received training in the development of sports activities.
The college delegation, which was hosted by staff and Youth Sports Development Ambassadors from the Bulgarian Sports Development Association, had a packed itinerary including team-building and sports activities such as volleyball, golf and football as well as cultural visits to Mount Vitosha and the capital city of Sophia.
“This was a fantastic experience for Marta that allowed her to engage and share ideas with sports ambassadors from all over Europe,” says Stephen. “As a direct result of this, her confidence has grown significantly, to the point where she feels motivated enough to develop her own ten week sports activities programme for young people from black and ethnic minority groups, which will take place in January 2018. Marta is extremely proud to be a sports ambassador for Wales.”
The YSDA project involves seven EU partner countries including Wales and will create 28 new Youth Sports Development Ambassadors who will create over 4000 hours of activity for more than 500 young people across Europe
“It was great to see staff and students from the Gower College Swansea enjoying their visit to Bulgaria,” says Rob Baynham, ColegauCymru YSDA Project Manager. “Marta has shown a real enthusiasm for the project training and I look forward to seeing her project activity coming to life next year.”
ENDS