A new approach to community engagement is helping the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP) build communities throughout the islands of Samoa with sport.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) through the ASOP, an Australian Government initiative using sport as a vehicle for community development, is delivering the Samoa Sport for Development (SSfD) program to increase the participation of village communities in regular, quality sport and physical activities run by qualified village-based facilitators.

In 2008 the SSfD program commenced in Upolu, Samoa’s main island.  The program responded to a lack of involvement from the locals by introducing a new approach to community engagement in select villages on Savai'i, Samoa’s second island.

This year the team has already witnessed success stories, with a broad range of age groups from the Savai’i village of Lalomalava participating in rugby, touch, soccer and netball.

ASOP Samoa Program Manager, Ms Sara Gloede said that the high commitment of the Lalomalava community has seen a decision to assist Lalomalava to build a multi-purpose court in the village. 

'Netball is currently played on a muddy field. The village has already allocated and cleared land, and have offered to provide the labour to build their new court, which will also be used for volleyball, tennis and basketball.'

Dr Allison Simons, ASC International Relations Development Manager, says sport is proving to be a vital factor in developing healthy communities on the islands.

'SfD staff noticed that one of the reasons why the Upolu programs weren’t working was because village members didn’t fully understand the program and how it works,' Dr Simons said. 'This led the team to develop a longer, more comprehensive consultation process with the community, culminating in the signing of a Partnership Agreement with the Village Council.

'It is important to go where the energy is, this new approach to community engagement requires villages to submit an interest in participation after the initial group consultation.

'This increases the village’s commitment to the program as they are the ones driving it.'

The partnership agreement between the Village Council and the ASC’s in-country partner, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture (MESC), ensures there is support for the program from the key decision-makers in the village. Once the agreement is signed, the Council assembles a Village Sport Committee (VSC) to coordinate all sports activities in the village, who then nominate a group of Village Sport Leaders (VSLs), trained to plan and conduct sports activities. Villages can then choose the sports they would like to participate in. The MESC coordinates the National Sporting Federations, who then provide the VSLs with sport-specific coaching and officiating training.

Ms Gloede said the philosophy behind the program is to build capacity at a grassroots level so the communities can facilitate and run sports themselves.

The new approach has resulted in proactive, committed communities and the ASOP team hope to use this approach to revitalise the SSfD programs on Upolu.