CGF Internship Program Members from Europe and Africa Unite

The latest cohort of the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) eqUIP paid internship programme – comprising young sports leaders from England, Isle of Man, Mozambique, Northern Ireland, Tanzania, Uganda and Wales – are meeting in Botswana to put the final touches to their business projects that will support their host Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) in the lead up to Gold Coast 2018. This is the fourth intake for the regional eqUIP programme which started in 2014, but the first ever to bring together interns from two different Commonwealth regions.

CGF Regional Development Manager Ellen Barwise, who oversees the programme and is based alongside the team at CGA Botswana said: "It’s so exciting to see the impact these young adults are having in their CGAs and watching them learn and develop from each other’s experiences. Their projects are directly supporting their organisations back home, whilst also showcasing their growth and skills development. The different countries and regions are collaborating, working and learning together, and sharing ideas. It’s a fantastic indicator of the strength of the Commonwealth family and what the CGF’s development programme is all about."

CGF Chief Executive David Grevemberg CBE said: "The Commonwealth Games Federation aspires to be a leader in international sport development, and so we are delighted to announce the latest phase of our eqUIP programme. We wish all of the interns every success with their projects which will add enormous value to their host CGA and the wider Commonwealth Sports Movement".

The CGF’s eqUIP programme aims to build capacity in CGAs through a paid internship programme, developed in partnership with local universities as part of the CGF’s global development programme. It creates mutually beneficial opportunities for the intern and the host CGA - developing the skills of young leaders in a national sporting organisation, who deliver special projects which directly benefit the host CGA.

The CGA and the local universities work together to identify the CGA’s development objectives and projects that the intern can complete to help them achieve their goals. The programme looks to strengthen the capacity of the CGA in a number of areas, such as: Games preparations, stakeholder relations (eg National Government and Governing Bodies), branding, social media, management and governance.

The eqUIP meeting took place at the Mokolodi Conference Centre in Gaborone, Botswana between 1-3 February 2018.

African eqUIP intern Deborah Namusoke, supporting Commonwealth Games Uganda, graduated from Kyambogo University with a BSc in Sports and Leisure Management in December 2017. Her works as a CGA intern focuses on preparing Team Uganda for the upcoming Games in Gold Coast 2018. Deborah said: "It’s been a great time for me at CGA Uganda. I have learnt a lot from working in a dynamic sporting organisation – developing my efficiency, accountability, confidence and prioritisation skills and responding to many given tasks."

European eqUIP intern Delia Bute, supporting Commonwealth Games England, is an International Hospitality and Tourism Management Graduate who joined the eqUIP programme 6 months ago as part of Team England’s Games Time HQ team. Her role as an Event Operations Executive enabled her to utilise and develop skills across multiple projects such as Accreditation and Visa, Kitting Out and Procurement. Delia said: "Throughout my Commonwealth Games England experience I learned to value and focus more on the journey rather than the end goal as many opportunities for personal growth could present themselves along the way."

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