CGA interns learn, build relations
FIJI Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) participated in a three-day (February 21-23) eqUIP Oceania Workshop organised by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) in Nadi, Fiji.
For the first time, the eqUIP program included interns and supervisors from the Asian continent who joined their counterparts from Oceania in a CGF initiative to develop youth leaders through internship and employment opportunities, empowering them to make a positive contribution to communities through sport.
FASANOC was represented by their sport administrator intern Senirusi Moceica otherwise known as Sani, who is attached to Fiji’s Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) on a 12-month internship under the eqUIP program along with his supervisor CGA administrator Justine Mannan.
Senirusi is currently enrolled at the Fiji National University studying sports science and is an active sportsman having represented Fiji at the 2023 Pacific Games in the sport of Va’a.
“The eqUIP program included participants from Australia, New Zealand, Maldives, Pakistan, Malaysia, Tonga, Sri Lanka, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea and we were fortunate to learn from and foster positive relations with each other,” Senirusi
said. He said developing positive relations between the interns and supervisors and understanding the roles they played in their individual CGAs was an eye opener for him.
“The workshop was also about strengthening the network in Oceania that will promote eqUIP and the Commonwealth Games brand.”
Senirusi said developing a realistic work plan for the eqUIP interns within the CGAs was also a topic of discussion along with work planning and networking.
“We also learnt about communication and presentation skills which will help with marketing and branding and also relationship building,” he said.
FASANOC secretary general and chief executive officer Vanessa Kilner, in welcoming participants, encouraged them to learn as much as possible not only from the supervisors but also from each other.
“It’s always awesome to have our family from the various CGA’s with us because it helps us with collaborating which is also beneficial to our growth as a CGA,” she said.
The workshop was supervised by former New Zealand international cricketer and current development director with the CGF Richard Paul de Groen, NZ Olympian Melody Cooper and director of development and CGA relations Ellen Barwise.
Also present during the workshop was CGF executive board vice-president Hugh Graham.
This eqUIP program has been running since September 2014 in Europe and Africa.
In 2020 it was expanded to Asia with the Caribbean and Americas joining in 2021 and a year later the program was expanded to Oceania.