In February 2013 Clark was waiting for a boat to take her back to Palmerston Island and took the opportunity to attend the fifth Just Play workshop in Rarotonga conducted by Just Play Project Manager Michelle Paiti.
Geared up with Just Play equipment kits, Clark returned to Palmerston Lucky School – the only school on the island – launching the programme in September.
“This is exciting for the progression of Just Play in our community, especially since it is difficult to travel to the northern parts of the Cook Islands,” Paiti says.
“I believe that the children on Palmerston will thoroughly enjoy the activities through this Just Play programme and I would like to congratulate Rose for taking the opportunity to provide a new activity to Palmerston and encourage the students to participate as much as possible and have fun.”
Since its introduction in 2011, Just Play has reached over 1,400 children from the ages of six to 13 years old in primary schools and community organisations in the Cook Islands.
The popular programme has reached the two outer islands of Aitutaki and Aitu while three training courses have taken place on Rarotonga with many festivals celebrated in the past three years.
Palmerston Island consists of a number of sandy islets on a continuous ring of coral reef enclosing a lagoon. The island has no airport or regular air service, but cargo ships visit a few times a year.
Developed by the OFC social responsibility and technical departments, Just Play is designed for children aged six to 12 and promotes physical activity while encouraging community involvement, healthy living, gender equality and disability development.
OFC has worked closely with UEFA, the Australian Government – through its agencies the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) – and Football Federation Australia to implement the programme across the Pacific over a three-year period between 2009 and 2012. It was launched in Tonga and is now also running in American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu.
The confederation has also been working in New Zealand with Special Olympics on a Just Play programme for people with mental disabilities and has launched the same initiative in Samoa and Fiji.
Just Play has reached over 106,000 children – 43 per cent of whom are female – across the Pacific and trained over 2,200 teachers and volunteers.
For more on Cook Islands football go to www.cookislandsfootball.com

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