Veerle in South Africa

Participant

Veerle

Programme

Internship

Country

🇿🇦 South Africa

Duration

8 weeks

Short bio

Hi! My name is Veerle, I’m 19, and after finishing my studies I went volunteering with The Power of Sports together with a friend. We did this with support from the VSB Fund through our school. The great thing about it was that for the VSB grant you already had to work out a concrete plan, so we started this adventure well prepared.

How satisfied were you with the support from Holland?

I came across The Power of Sports on social media and was immediately excited. I was soon in touch with Ruben, who gave lots of information beforehand and helped me think through the options. Everything was arranged smoothly and quickly, which was really reassuring.

My story

“What made it extra special for me was the bond with the staff. The mamas who give you hugs, ask how you’re doing and cook delicious food.”

Veerle · internship in South Africa

When you arrive at the accommodation you get to know each other straight away and do fun activities to break the ice in the group. Then Holiday Camp started: a week in which children from the area could come and play sport every day. I really enjoyed this, because you kept seeing many of the same children but worked with a different sports group every day. The children were incredibly sweet and affectionate.
After that the “normal” coaching weeks began. I taught dance, tennis and swimming. Personally I enjoyed dance the most, because the children have so much rhythm. We often finished with a dance party, where they played their own music and we all let loose together. You even learnt dances from their culture, which made it even more fun.

Tennis was sometimes challenging because of limited facilities, but together we always made something fun of it with games and relays. Swimming was special too: some children were scared, others were (too) confident, and some were really good. Those differences are exactly what made it fun, because you learnt to guide each child differently.

During the coaching sessions you taught Learn to Move to the youngsters, with simple, nostalgic games such as Grandmother’s Footsteps, little obstacle courses and musical chairs. I found the coaching absolutely fantastic!
On Monday evenings you could join in with football. At first I thought: oh dear, this isn’t for me, but it was sooo much fun, no matter how good you were.

Tuesday evening at Barney’s (karaoke bar) was my favourite night: always great fun and never a disappointment. At the weekends there were various activities you could take part in, such as a safari, a bungee jump or Jeffreys Bay. Absolutely worth it; they’re always really fun and special days.

What made it extra special for me was the bond with the staff. The mamas who give you hugs, ask how you’re doing and cook delicious food. Ashie, who arranges and knows everything (but won’t let you sleep on the bus). Sam, who drove us to coaching every day and complained about my choice of music. And the coordinators, who felt like friends but were always there for you. In short: a warm, lovely and close-knit atmosphere.