Issue link: http://digitaleditions.uberflip.com/i/1365376
www.ladiesgaelic.ie | SPRING 2021 | 59 LEITRIM G4M&O F ormer world tennis champion Stan Smith coined the phrase: "Experience tells you what to do, confidence allows you to do it". Our Gaelic4Mothers&Others Leitrim inclusion programme is certainly true to this saying. With the hugely popular and successful programme now concluded, it would do a disservice to its quality and reach not to evaluate and research the impact that it had on the participants and clubs that were involved. The research carried out by Leitrim Footballer and AIT Sports & Health Sciences Student Michelle Hackett throughout the duration of the programme that spanned from September 2020 to February 2021. This gave us a real insight into the previous perceptions and level of confidence in volunteering through the lens of the G4M&O participants in the county of Leitrim. The evaluation found that the majority of Gaelic4Mothers&Others participants had some level of experience in volunteering before starting the inclusion programme. 64% of participants who completed the first questionnaire said they had previous volunteer roles in a LGFA club while 36% had said they had not volunteered for a LGFA club. To get a better understanding of no previous volunteering experiences, participants were questioned as to whether there was a particular reason why they have not. Dominant responses followed the theme of: 'I didn't have the time to volunteer.' 'I had other commitments.' 'I didn't have any family involved in playing football.' Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery of the programme had to be delivered online as opposed to the traditional face-to-face learning. This was an adaption that many had to learn to adjust to but all participants managed very well with the online delivery. Some participants offered their own feelings on this transition to an online platform: 'All the webinars I attended were extremely well delivered and very informative.' 'Webinars were easy to follow and I gained a lot of new knowledge.' One of the main projected outcomes of the Leitrim G4M&O inclusion programme was to increase the numbers of volunteers in clubs and to progress women already in volunteer roles to leadership roles with more responsibility. The feedback from the participants is that they have more confidence in getting involved and putting their name in to help out at their local LGFA clubs now that they have the knowledge and skillset provided by the courses on the inclusion programme. Results from the questionnaire after completion of the inclusion programme came back at being 100% confident in taking on more volunteer roles in their club. Some of the most insightful and telling feedback from some of the participants included: 'I've done a lot of reading about coaching since this particular lockdown began and I found the peer-to-peer webinar very useful.' 'Having completed courses and gained qualifications to volunteer and give back to the club + game, after all the years I have got out of playing the game.' 'I now have confidence in my own skillset.' The Leitrim G4M&O Inclusion programme has provided the participants with not only the experiences of volunteering but they now have a reach and an impact in their clubs that will be lasting and sustainable. For many, the missing piece of the jigsaw was the confidence to put their skills into action. The programme has provided that missing piece that will, as Stan Smith said, allow them to do it!! INCLUSION PROJECT COMES TO AN END Leitrim Leitrim