Jan Gamage, members of the World Indoor Group, and SAMH’s Robert Nesbitt (second from the left in the back) also participated.
scottishAthletics and SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health) are now in their eighth year of partnership.
Our collaboration has evolved significantly during this period. SAMH’s influence in Scottish sport continues to grow and make an impact.
Check out some of their successes here. Scottish College of Physical Education and SAMH Impact Document.
Earlier this year, SAMH was announced as the official charity partner of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
SAMH provided mental health and wellbeing training and resources to all event staff and volunteers, contributing to the delivery of a mentally healthy event.
scottishtrack and field club officials; Jan Gammagewas one of 400 volunteers at the championships and had the additional responsibility of “.mental health champion” during the event.
First of all, how was your volunteer work at the World Track and Field Indoor Championships held in Glasgow?
My volunteering experience was as part of a training team based at Scotstown Stadium. Our team included volunteers, technical staff, event staff, security staff, and facility staff.
Our job was to support the training of players and coaches. It was very interesting to observe the athletes at such a high level during the training sessions. The atmosphere was casual and friendly.
Being a shared facility with Glasgow Warriors Rugby posed some challenges, but with good communication, concerns were allayed.
Before finishing their training session, VP-Glasgow’s young players arrived in Scotstown. Watching world-class athletes train was an incredible inspiration for young athletes. It was a great experience for them.
You played a very important role in the Championship as a mental health champion, could you tell us more about what that meant?
As a volunteer ambassador, I was involved in the volunteer selection process from an early stage. During the selection process, all received a presentation from Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).
I was a table facilitator for these sessions, and the discussions as part of the presentations were incredibly open and honest. There was no pressure to contribute. The aim of these sessions was to raise awareness about mental health and the role it should play in sport. It was clear that we had to contribute to raising awareness of mental health.
This was followed by further sessions for those who identified wanting to embrace the role of wellbeing champion.
These sessions took a deeper look at mental health, provided strategies for helping others, and pointed to resources to further support those in need.
Personally, I have had several situations where the information I received would have helped me to deal with it properly.
As wellbeing champions, we all wore SAMH straps to identify ourselves. A woman came up to both of us strapped in after lunch in Scottstown and asked if she worked for SAMH.
She shared her concerns. Although we weren’t there to resolve her concerns, we were able to listen and signpost her to get the help she needed.
She didn’t know World Indoors was happening. This was a very valuable chance encounter.
What did you learn from your experience at the Championships that you think will be useful to you and other stakeholders in Scottish athletics?
This volunteer experience was very enjoyable for me.
I really felt like I was given the right information to make this experience a success. In my opinion, his involvement with SAMH from the beginning of this process through to the post-event debriefing strengthened this process.
I learned that by all of us being more aware of those around us and acting more sensitively, we can create a more pleasant volunteer experience for everyone involved.
The important relationship between mental health and physical activity is now widely recognized and more openly discussed.
How do you think Scottish Athletics and partners can support sport workers and other volunteers to protect the mental health and wellbeing of athletes?
When we arrive at an event, we don’t know what others are experiencing. Many people are stressed for a variety of reasons, including work concerns, relationship problems, and caring responsibilities. You don’t need to know the details, but you should always treat each other with kindness and respect.
SAMH’s involvement with volunteers has had an incredibly beneficial effect.
Partnering with SAMH to implement both some training (perhaps at SA staff meetings) and resources with basic tips and signage on the SA website would be a very positive step. Sho.
There are always a lot of strong characters at athletics competitions, but it’s really important that everyone feels welcome and a valued member of the team.
Shona McCollum and Margaret Brown at World Indoors (Photo by Sue Gifford)
Jan joined the company as a Level 2 field worker. scottishHe joined athletics after volunteering at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She continues to volunteer not only in track and field but also in other sports.
After the championship scottishThe Athletics Department and SAMH are working together to develop a program of support and resources for our stakeholders, further expanding the work we are doing across sports.
Some of the members of Scottish Athletics who took part in the World Indoor Games (Photo courtesy of Bobby Gavin)
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