SPAT training week 2 Kwale – Kenya

THE SPAT TRAINING PROGRAM
LOCATION:  THE DEAF CENTRE IN KWALE – KENYA
DATE: 19^TH – 23^RD JUNE 2023.

SPAT is a program that involves training the deaf youths to become sports instructors.

SPAT stands for Sport and Physical Activity Trainee.

This program helps them in different ways as stated below:

• To discover their potential and abilities in different sectors.
• Secure jobs thus improving their living standards
• Boost their self esteem thus proving to the public despite their disabilities they are just like them and can work just like them.

The program was extended to Kinango Ward where students from the area met with those from Kwale Ward for the training. The trainees met daily in the morning for training then in the afternoon they wen out to the field to put in practice all the skills they learnt.

Below is a summary of all the activities done during the training session.

Day 1 – Monday 19^th June 2023

The program started well at 10:00am. Trainees were asked to group themselves into four groups with three members each led by their previous student instructors. After the groups were formed, they selected the schools and day they were to visit every day in the afternoon. The schools chosen were;

• Monday – Kwale Primary School for the deaf
• Tuesday – Kinarini Primary School and Kenya School for Intergrated Medicine
• Wednesday – Kwale School for the Mentally Handicapped
• Thursday – Henny’s Academy
• Friday – Ziwani Primary School

From the above list, it is seen that the training did not focus on regular schools alone but involved special schools as well to show that trainees are trained on how to instruct children with special needs.

Each group was to select a game they were to work with for the day. Below are the games they were to choose from: -

• Tag game
• Individual game
• Competition game
• A circus game

 After choosing the game, each team went to organize themselves by collecting all materials needed, practicing how to play before taking fifteen minutes each to teach others on what they had learnt.

GROUP	GAME CHOSEN
Group 1	The Whoop pass
Group 2	The bag run
Group 3	Throw ball
Group 4	Spinning Lint

 At 1400hrs, the teams started preparing themselves for fieldwork and by 1500hrs they were at Kwale School for the Deaf ready to start the day’s game. Each group worked with 10 students both boys and girls and divided the students as per their game and started practicing the skills they learnt that morning.

 

Group 1 teaching the students The Whoop Pass Game

 

Group 2 teaching the students The Bag Run Game

 

Group 3 teaching the students the Throw Ball Game

Group 4 teaching the students the Spinning Lint Game

   

After the games, trainees from Kinango interacted with the students since they were new to each other and also considering the fact that they were also deaf. This interaction lasted for about ten minutes and it was the ending of day 1 program.

Day 2 – 20^th June 2023

All the teams met once again, the program started a bit late because of that the trainees were lectured on the importance of discipline, time management being the major point. Team leaders were asked to implement on the above and encourage their members on their discipline and attitude.

Once more the teams had to choose different games, look for the materials, practice the game and later used each fifteen minutes to teach other groups what they had learnt. Being a Tuesday the teams were to go to two schools one a primary school (Ziwani Primary School) and the other a college (Kenya School for Intergrated Medicine), the group that practiced the throw ball game were asked to prepare for the game that they were going to play at the college and they chose volleyball. 

Group 1 chose the Diamond Heist

Group 2 chose Pawn Ball

Group 3 chose throw ball

Group 4 chose throw the ring

At around 1430hrs the teams headed to Kinarini Primary School. By 1500hrs they had all assembled at the school’s field, they went to inform the administration of their arrival and then proceeded to the field for the preparations.

The school gave the SPAT team forty students who were divided into four groups each having 10 students. The trainees started training the students on the games they had learnt led by their team leaders.

Below: Group 1 teaching students The Diamond Heist

Below: Group 2 teaching the students Pawn Ball 

Below: Group 3 Teaching students at Kinarini The throw Ball Game 

Below: Group 4 teaching students Throw the Ring Game

With each group using ten minutes, the trainees did an exemplary job at the field. They exercised cooperation, unity, support and teamwork. At around 1600hrs the program at Kinarini ended and they headed to The Kenya School for Intergrated Medicine. On reaching the venue, they started by doing some exercises with the college students before the start of the game. At exactly 1710hrs, the volleyball match began, the SPAT team did not perform well. They lost to the college students 3-0 respectively. Despite the loss, they enjoyed themselves and interacted with the students. At around 1745hrs all the activities for the day came to an end and each team proceeded back to the Deaf Centre.

Day 3 – 21^st June 2023

All started well and all the trainees reported on time they received a congratulatory applaud from their coach Anne. On this day the trainees were going to a mentally handicapped school and each chose a game, looked for the materials, practiced the game as a team and later used fifteen minutes each to teach the other teams how each game was played. 

Below Group 1 showing other teams The Pass-Through Game  

Below: Group 2 showing other team members The Throwing and Catching Game

Below: Group 3 showing other team members The Tag of War

Below: Group 4 showing other members The Spinning Flag Game

At 1430hrs all the teams had prepared and made their way to the Kwale School for the Mentally Handicapped. On reaching the school, they went to inform the administration of their arrival and later headed to the field for preparations. The trainees faced difficulties in grouping the students into a complete group of ten students each considering their mental condition. When they were put into a group of ten other students would go join other teams thus increasing the number of students of one team or they left their groups to join other different groups.

Some of the students did not understand the instructions given for the game and it was difficult for trainees to teach them.

 

Group 1 teaching the students the Pass-through game being assisted by Kidanga in the first picture

Group 2 teaching the students throwing and catching

Group 3 teaching the students the tag of war

Group 4 teaching the students the spinning flag    

At 1600hrs the games ended and all teams headed back to the Deaf Centre.

Day 4 – 22^nd June 2023

Mr. Anne the instructor asked all teams to do an evaluation of the training from the previous days. Each individual was asked to share something with their fellow trainees. All the members thanked him for the program because through it they found an opportunity to discover various skills that they had. They confessed that at the beginning of the training it was a bit hard but as the days went by they found the Joy of Movement because they enjoyed what they were doing. After the evaluation remarks, the teams were asked to prepare for their games in the afternoon, two of the teams prepared the same game they had played the previous day while the other two chose a new game to practice. The new games chosen were

Match with the ball game and the secret ball game, this was done by groups three and four respectively

Below: group 3 showing the members the Match with the ball game 

Below: Group 4 showing the members The Secret Ball.

Below: Marion looking for who has hidden the ball

Due to unavoidable circumstances, the teams did not manage to go to Henny’s Academy as per the timetable. Despite the changes SPAT team was not discouraged, they stayed at the Deaf Centre and competed against themselves.

Day 5 – 23^rd June 2023

This was the last day of training for week one, and all the activities were taking place at the Deaf Centre. The meeting started at around 1100hrs and lasted an hour. In the meeting, trainees were reminded to play the games that were for the previous day since they had not gone to the field.

At 1430hrs the teams headed to Ziwani Primary School.  On arrival they went to inform the administration of their arrival and later headed to the field for preparations.

Group 1 teaching the students The Whoop Pass Game   

      

Group 2 teaching the students The Throwing and Catching Game 

Group 3 teaching the students Match with the balls

Group 4 teaching the students the secret ball game 

 

All the games were a success and all the students enjoyed every bit of it. At 1600hrs, the teams rounded up and gathered their materials ready to go back to the Deaf Centre. They also took a group photo for remembrance since the team from Kinango were going back and would return again in the month of July for the second week of training.

Picture below of all the SPAT team members after their last day of training

In conclusion the SPAT training was a success, the team leaders showed good leadership skills with each leader insisting to their team members to take their training seriously. There were also some challenges where some teams chose the games that were in favor of them other than in favor of the students they were going to instruct, this though changed after Mr. Anne talked to them and the last game the teams chose to instruct were all in favor of the students.

All through the training sessions both SPAT members and students really enjoyed the games, the students complained of having less time to spend in playing the game and asked if the play time could be added to at least fifteen or twenty minutes. Some students also asked questions about sign language SPAT members taught them some new signs. All in all the training was a success and trainees are really looking forward for the next training session especially the team from Kinango.