IWA Sport have launched The Staying Active Initiative which involves several online and virtual programmes. These programmes allow IWA-Sport to stay engage with their members in a meaningful capacity. This initiative aims to support health & wellbeing of the members.
600 minutes in March
IWA-Sport have challenged their members to complete 600 minutes of physical activity this March. Under this challenge we have launched our 10@10 sessions on the IWA-Sport Staying Active Facebook group. Every morning at 10am IWA-Sport staff members deliver ten minutes of physical activity online. To further help our members reach the 600 minutes target we are also running exercise classes with Coach Alan Dineen and Yoga & Meditation sessions with Meabh.
Virtual Spring Fitness
The IWA-Sports Centre in Clontarf are running a 6-week programme for their members. It started on the 22nd of February 2021 and is now going into the 5th week. As gyms unfortunately remain closed, the Virtual Spring into Fitness programme aims to continue to support members and help them reach their health & wellness goals. Members have weekly check ins and catch ups with sports centre staff and also take part in 2 live exercise classes each week. Everyone involved is really enjoying catching up with each other and staying active.
Virtual Club Sessions
Multi-Sport Junior Club Members from IWA have been training very hard since the 23rd of January 2021. There have been over 15 sessions delivered since this programme started. Fun physical activity sessions have been running on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings for our junior club members ages 5-15. All the participants have been putting in a great effort over the last number of weeks in different exercise sessions. There are members taking part from all corners of the country. Some have been reunited with their club mates and have even met people from different clubs who they may have not met before. The Virtual Club Sessions will continue to run online for the foreseeable until restrictions ease.
Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership Programme
The Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership programme began on Tuesday March 2nd and will run for 10 weeks. IWA members between the ages of 18 and 23 will undertake online training in leadership skills that can be applied to a variety of settings. The programme aims to support our young members with leadership skills that may benefit on a personal and social basis. Participants will develop competencies in a multitude of skills including communication, relationship building planning and problem-solving. They will also develop inspiration, vision, confidence, and action plans needed to be effective leaders. The outcome of this project will see participants become empowered to lead among their peers and become advocates for the work of IWA and disability issues through a structured education programme. The inaugural Oliver Murphy Youth Leadership programme has seen a full uptake with 12 members with a great geographical spread, Louth, Cork, Dublin, Laois, Galway, Meath, Wexford, and Tipperary.
Senior Athlete Training Support Programme
On the 2nd of March 2021, IWA Sport commenced the 6-week Senior Athlete Training Support Programme. Members from Senior Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair rugby, Para-powerlifting and para-athletics have completed 4 weeks of online training with Rebel Wheelers club member and Aclaí S&C coach Alan Dineen. They have been also been joined by various guest speakers covering a variety of topics such as nutrition, physical therapy, recovery, sports psychology, and mental health organisation Jigsaw. The programme will continue for 2 more weeks. Everyone is working extremely hard and enjoying catching up with each other. They are all very eager to get back to competition and face to face training soon!