A three-day ‘Sports Chaplainship’ workshop is currently ongoing at Solomon Islands National Institute of Sport (SINIS), having started yesterday.
Co-Lead for Global Major Games Chaplaincy and founder of Sports Care Global, Hannah Jean Johnson arrived from Australia on Tuesday this week to facilitate the three-day Chaplainship Workshop for participants who have registered.
A sports chaplain is someone who stands alongside those in sport, supporting them through in their mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It is serving people of sport with no agenda or discrimination, providing pastoral care to them and meeting them where they are at.
The Global Sports Chaplaincy training is to be in three full days which explores the role of a chaplain, brings understanding and insight to help one better understand the life of a sports person.
This training is to cover the origins, models and foundations of chaplaincy, as well as equipping one to serve in different sporting contexts.
It brings understanding around grief and loss and what this support role can look like, helping one to know what to do and not do as a chaplain, and it explores the holistic person or athlete and where the role of chaplain fits in the greater sport context.
The workshop also covers ‘self-care’ and what that looks like in the world today, ensuring one is best positioned to care for those around them.
“Sports Chaplaincy is all about working with sports people, this is through local sport, social sport and all the elite sports. I am looking forward to train the people here to be able to step in and do this role,” said Johnson in an interview during her arrival.
In background, Ms Johnson is an Australian who represented her nation in Hockey with a degree in Sports Management, Diploma in Pastoral Care and Leadership from Bible College and further study in youth work and behavioral sciences.
The Co-Lead for Global Major Games Chaplaincy and founder of Sports Care Global has formally been an accredited sports chaplain for 11 years and served at three Commonwealth Games, Olympics, University Games and many world championships. This includes regional, national events including para events.
Around 25 participants from different denominations are currently undergoing the Sports Chaplainship Workshop that will be completed tomorrow. Amongst the participants are team Chaplains of the country’s different sport teams as well.
According to Ms Johnson, a similar workshop will also be held during this coming Saturday but as an ‘open’ one for those who have not attended the three-day workshop. It will only be for three hours starting at 9am, summarizing what they have gone through during the three-day workshop.
Source: SINIS Media