Jockey Club "Sports Without Limits" Youth Empowerment Programme Collaborates with Global Schools and SDSN Hong Kong to Offer Free Online Professional Training Courses on Adapted Physical Activity
This article was originally posted on the Chinese University of Hong Kong's website.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Department of Sports Science and Physical Education has organised the Jockey Club “Sports without Limits” Youth Empowerment Programme (the Programme), funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. In its recent collaboration with the Global Schools program initiated by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Hong Kong Chapter of the United Nations’ SDSN (SDSN Hong Kong), the Programme offers eight free online professional training courses to educators and students on adapted physical activity (APA) in Hong Kong and beyond. The first course, “Individualised Teaching in a Group Adapted Physical Education Class”, is now open for registration.
The Programme provides professional training courses which are well received by the local participating schools. This year, the Programme has consolidated these courses into eight free online professional training courses on APA so as to attract more beneficiaries. Participants can gain knowledge and master the skills of planning, designing and implementing APA through pre-recorded lecture videos and reading materials. The courses cover designing APA in group settings, introducing sitting volleyball and goalball into schools, using STEP as a tool to integrate APA theory into practice, and designing and delivering home-based physical fitness training. All courses are taught by experts from the USA, UK, Finland, the Netherlands and Hong Kong.
In collaboration with Global Schools, the courses will be promoted to overseas schools for global educators, teachers, practitioners and students who are interested in APA. The courses are certified by the UNESCO Chair on Transforming the Lives of People with Disabilities through Physical Education, Sport, Fitness and Recreation, Munster Technological University, Ireland; and various overseas APA organisations, including the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA), the European Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (EUFAPA) and the Asian Society for Adapted Physical Education and Exercise (ASAPE). Participants are welcome to enroll for any courses they are interested in, and will receive a training certificate after completing a course and fulfilling the assessment requirements.
Professor Cindy Hui Ping SIT, Principal Investigator of the Programme and Chairperson of the Department remarked, “The Jockey Club ‘Sports without Limits’ Youth Empowerment Programme has offered various professional training courses to promote professional development of teachers, and has benefited more than 500 teachers and their students as beneficiaries over the past three years. The Programme team hopes that more local and overseas educators can benefit by attending professional training that assists them in promoting APA at school and in communities, and encourages them to join hands in achieving the concept of ‘Sports without Limits’ as an ultimate goal.”
The registration details for the remaining seven courses will be provided in due course. To find out more about the course details, please visit https://sportswithoutlimits.hk/en/professional-training.
About the Jockey Club “Sports without Limits” Youth Empowerment Programme
The Jockey Club “Sports without Limits” Youth Empowerment Programme was launched in 2019. It targets children and young people with disabilities, including those with visual impairment, hearing impairment, physical disability and intellectual disability of mild and moderate levels. In collaboration with schools and families, the Programme aims to empower children and young people with disabilities to get physically active and healthy through APA, promoting physical and psychosocial health, and improving quality of life. The Programme also aims to advance the professional competence and practice of physical education teachers and practitioners who are working with this population group by organising workshops and seminars, and offering online resources and teaching materials, and to promote social inclusion among children and young people with or without disabilities. For more details of the Programme, please visit:
Website: https://sportswithoutlimits.hk
YouTube Channel: HKJC-CUHK Sports without Limits Channel
About Global Schools and SDSN Hong Kong
Global Schools is an initiative of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) in support of UNESCO’s Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). SDSN Hong Kongmobilises across sectors including universities and research centres to emphasise practical problem solving for sustainable development.
About Adapted Physical Activity (APA)
Adapted physical activity is defined as “a cross-disciplinary body of practical and theoretical knowledge directed toward impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions in physical activity. It is a service delivery profession and an academic field of study that supports an attitude of acceptance of individual differences, advocates access to active lifestyles and sport, and promotes innovative and cooperative service delivery, supports, and empowerment. Adapted physical activity includes, but is not limited to, physical education, sport, recreation, dance, creative arts, nutrition, medicine, and rehabilitation.” (International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity, https://ifapa.net/definition/ )