The Beyond 20X20 Female Leadership Programme, which was launched by Donegal Sport Partnership (DSP) on March 8th, continues to be adapted for delivery.
Maggie Farrelly, Education and Training Coordinator with Donegal Sports Partnership, said that being able to engage through online meant the delivery of the programme remains well on schedule.
“We were fortunate to be able to adapt our programme delivery during the pandemic, through on line seminars,” Maggie explained.
“The first of these seminars was delivered by Jo Hopkins and Eliza Downey from Performance Matters. They delivered workshops on leadership dynamics, leading under pressure, leading teams and individuals and resilient leadership. These workshops gave the participants an insight into the type of leader they are, their values and behaviours and how these can influence others,” she added.
Commented one of the course participants: “The presentation itself allowed for a lot of self-reflection into the type of leader you are and what you aspire to be. Focusing on how your values affect your judgement. I thought this especially was very interesting.”
Another said: “It was a good session and gave a great insight into being a leader and what it entails. I definitely got to think about me as a leader and how I can transfer my skills into my coaching environment. I was really interested also in hearing about Jo and Eliza’s background and how they have evolved over the years as leaders”.
The next series of workshops was delivered by Nollaig MacCarthy form Mindfit. During these workshops Nollaig focussed on mental health and mindfulness, building confidence, overcoming setbacks and success, managing stress and cognitive conditioning.
“The participants enjoyed the practical element of this session. It gave them the opportunity to see the mindfulness session through to the end and also allowed them to relax during a busy time. Being able to recognise stress and dealing with stress at an early stage was the big takeaway from this,” Maggie said.
Mentors were also recruited for the participants on the programme.
“We are extremely grateful and appreciative of their support in helping others learn from their experiences. We are fortunate to have the calibre of these individuals all coming with vast knowledge and expertise from their field of coaching, media and refereeing. Michael Cooke from Sport NI delivered two mentoring sessions to the group of mentors, providing an opportunity for the group to develop their mentoring skills. After the summer break, we will be bringing the participants and mentors together to meet up and to put their mentoring partnership into action,” she added.
“The overall aim of the programme is to help develop confidence and to develop effective skills in becoming a leader in their chosen area. I believe these areas were delivered in great details, allowing the participants to reflect on their own leadership style while presenting an opportunity to grow in confidence.”
