The Gaelic Players Association had a busy day yesterday announcing the launch of its first Community Camp which is being held in Dublin City University this week, as well as a campaign to raise awareness of concussion with Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
The one week Community Camp, which is being run on a pilot basis initially in Dublin, is aimed at children who otherwise would not get a chance to attend an event of this nature and forms part of the GPA’s Social Responsibility Programme.
With a team of county players operating as coaches, the Camp will use sport as a vehicle to encourage positive physical and mental health. It will provide the children with a unique and enjoyable cost-free experience.
Last week’s Sport for Business Round Table on Children in Sport highlighted the particular need to address communities outside the traditional hinterland of the main sports and this initiative from the GPA is a very welcome one.
“The active promotion of sport in society is a strategic objective of the GPA and the Community Camp is a vehicle for us to do that in a practical way,” said GPA Chief Executive Dessie Farrell. “It is particularly relevant that we support children who are often excluded from participation in sport and activity of this type. It is our ambition to run a Community Camp in other appropriate locations next year as part of a wider campaign to promote the importance of sport in society and specifically in our education system.”
The pilot programme is being supported by O’Neills, Bus Eireann, Ballygowan, Sportsfile, Ballywire, Opel Kit for Clubs, GPA members and Dublin City University.”
The GPA is committed to supporting a number of charities and initiatives on an annual basis by harnessing the profile of county players as role models within their communities and promoting the positive benefits of active participation in sport.
It also has a responsibility for health promotion among the membership and the campaign on concussion will see the promotion of a video raising awareness of how to handle concussion when it occurs.
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