Exploring (SCAN)
It is of crucial importance to gain a clear insight in the sports and educational situation on a national level. We will work towards developing programmes that we want to be structural parts of sports and education and therefore they should be in accordance with national policies.
Questions that need answering at this stage:
- How to characterise national and/or local policies? Are they aimed at participation, social cohesion, quality of life, health, etc.?
- What are the social issues? (e.g. in town districts and in the neighbourhood of schools). Possible themes are fighting bullying, physical literacy, standards and values among youngsters, etc.
- What is the judo structure like? How many clubs are there? How many trainers? At what level do trainers work? What initiatives are available?
- Who are the stakeholders that have to be taken into account, as far as cooperation and finances are concerned?
Find the main parties in the program
During the Scan stage it is very important to get into contact with the world surrounding us. We should acquire a clear view of and feeling for the above elements in order to structure a youth judo programme on the basis of the information available.
The main parties involved in a programme:
- The national judo federation: the federation is at the centre of the web and is responsible for the level of quality of judo trainers. Many federations have appointed a person responsible for youth and participation.
- The project manager: mostly he acts on the federation’s responsibility. He has the required overview, controls and organisational skills and is the linking pin of the project.
- The judo trainer: undoubtedly, he is one of the most important players in the field. He takes care of the training sessions, he kindles enthusiasm and makes sure there is a worthwhile experience to be had.
- The authorities: national and local authorities. They are of the utmost importance. Usually they have funds and subsidies available on the basis of themes and policies.
- The schools: the ideal situation is that the schools will incorporate judo and its values in their school curriculum. A good cooperation with the school (director) will make the program much more effective and bring it not only to the tatami, but also to the classroom.
First scan for finances
Youth judo programmes are often enough financed on the basis of governmental subsidies. Therefore, it is desirable to gain a clear insight in governmental finances and the possibilities to apply for subsidies.
Next to the government, it’s very important to think about who else will and can play a role in the finances of the project. Think of the primary schools, popular sports organizations, the town districts (municipality), sponsoring companies, etc.
