Sports Development Internship in Mauritius

From beaches to national parks, here are the absolute best things to do in Mauritius:

The Capital Port Louis
Head To Caudan Waterfront Shopping Mall
Check Out China Town
Visit Aapravasi Ghat – Unesco World Heritage Site
See the sights, smells and sounds of Port Luis Bazaar!

South & West Region
Explore Black River Gorges National Park – Endemic Birds
Dolphin Experience
Le Morne Cultural Climb – Unesco World Heritage Site
Enjoy White Sandy Beaches on Le Morne or Flic en Flac

South & East Region
Scuba Dive or Snorkel in Blue Bay Marine Park
Experience Local Culture & History In Mahebourg
Climb Lion Mountain & Kestrel Valley
Ile Aux Cerf Island

Central Region
Holy Temple of Grand Bassin
Kanaka Volcano
Bois Cheri Tea Plantation
Guava Fruit Picking (seasonal)

North Region
Visit Triolet Temple Shivala in Triolet Village
Head to Grand Bay for shops and pristine beaches of
Pamplemousse Botanical Gardens
Visit the Sugercane Factory Museum

Mauritius is renowned across the world as Paradise island and people jet set to this tropical island to relax on the beautiful white sandy beaches and turquoise warms seas. The island has so much more to offer than just its idyllic coastline. This Indian Ocean island has a rich melting pot of cultures and its people are a sea of smiles. It’s people love sports wherever you go on the island you will see locals, sporting football t-shirts from the Premiership. Yes, it’s an island mad about football, with basketball and volleyball being the other two main participatory sports in Mauritius.

There is an emphasis with the Ministry of Youth and Sport to introduce new sports in Hockey, Rugby, Cricket and Netball, as well as developing existing sports such as Football, Basketball, Volleyball and Handball.

Sport in Mauritius
Mauritian sport is marginalised in competition with the demands of academic subjects within schools. Our sports project work is to re-prioritise the importance of physical activity both within the curriculum and in the community. A national concern of the country is the overall health and well being of the next generation with few role models in sport to aspire to. By providing valuable coaching lessons within the school structure you will be key to re-establishing sports at a mass participation level.

Sports that you are all familiar with in your own country, such as hockey, rugby, netball, and cricket are not that well known or played in Mauritius. The potential to develop these sports on the island could lead to establishing participation and developing competitions. Your role as a Sports Development Intern will be to introduce grass roots coaching in these sports in order to assess the potential of these sports to become established in Mauritius

Your Sports Development Internship in Mauritius
Your role along with a small team of sports coaches, will be to deliver a fun experience encompassing multi-sports sessions. The children will be from a selection of secondary schools and special needs schools providing you with a wide group of participation levels and ages. Coaching will cover a range of sports from football, basketball, and volleyball all played to a decent national level. The secondary aim will be to introduce new sports such as netball, cricket, hockey and rugby.

Sport can play a vital role to help young people to achieve a higher academic level by providing key learning skills such as listening, following instructions. motivation and trusting others to support their personal development.

In the afternoon we will head out to a community centre delivering sports sessions to children who normally would not get much access to sports coaches providing fun training drills to help with interest and engagement,. The emphasis here is less structured but will have as much of an impact on these young children.

The aim of the sports internship is to continually assess the success of delivering sports coaching lessons into the community with the hope of developing a long-term sustainable sports development programme in Mauritius.

Your sports experience with us will provide you with unique access to contributing to sports development in Mauritius whilst supporting our work which is the first of its kind on the island, helping you appreciate sports management and development on an international level.

Criminal Records Check
We require you to complete a criminal records check in order to take part in this experience. We can accept those that have been done in the last two years if you have the certificate. In the UK it can be done through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), in the USA further details can be found on Travel.State.Gov, otherwise please search for your local service provider. We may also request a reference from a reliable source. You must supply these to us before departure and also take a copy with you to present to the in-country team.

Why do we require a criminal background check?
1) Ensuring a safe environment is conducive to learning, productivity and overall positive experiences for everyone involved.

2) We implement thorough screening processes and we are committed to safety and integrity, fostering trust among participants and the local community.

3) Conducting background checks serves as a preventive measure, deterring individuals with questionable backgrounds from attempting to participate in our programme.

4) Safeguards vulnerable people from potential harm within the programme.

Gap Year and Career Break Sports Coaching Project in Mauritius
Mauritius is a top travel destination and for those who enjoy the outdoor life there is a myriad of adventure activities to experience from kite surfing, scuba diving, mountain biking, hiking and exploring the natural environment. Take a gap year, head out in your summer holiday or plan a career break and be part of an exciting sports coaching and playing project in Mauritius, developing sporting opportunities for young people that could have a positive impact on their lives.

You can arrive from the last weekend in March (preferably on the Sat) until the last Sat in November. Arrivals/departures outside this window, may incur an additional charge.

Minimum duration is 4 weeks but the longer you can give to the experience the more value you will get from it.

We prefer you to come on an even duration of weeks such as 4, 6, 8 and so forth.

Visa
Most nationalities will not require a visa to enter Mauritius for up to 90 days. If you are from a country that requires a visa for entry then we suggest you research your own requirements. When you book, we’ll provide you with all details should you need to apply for a visa.

Equipment Donation for Mauritius
We are dedicated to sustainable development. This is why part of the fee you pay goes towards buying decent equipment for beneficiary organisations in Mauritius. You will often use this equipment during your project and it is always left with the community when you leave. In some cases, an equipment donation may not be appropriate so a financial contribution is made instead.

Social Life in Mauritius
Mauritius is known as paradise island and is spoilt for choice on pristine beaches. On public holidays the locals certainly know how to enjoy themselves at the beach and are so warm and welcoming, they will often ask you to join them! The national music and dance is Sega and you can often here the African skin drums being played by the locals. In the north and west of the island there are several resort towns with plenty of restaurants and bars as well as surf and up market clothing stores. Every weekend you will be free to explore and experience the fun way of life in Mauritius!

Travel and Adventure in Mauritius
Mauritius, an Indian Ocean island nation, as mentioned is known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs. However the mountainous interior has a lot to offer including Black River Gorges National Park, with rainforests, waterfalls, hiking trails and rare endangered wildlife like the Fruit Bat, Pink Pigeon and Mauritian Kestrel. The Capital Port Louis has sites such as the Champs de Mars horse track, Eureka plantation house and 18th-century Botanical Gardens.

The national sport of Mauritius is football and its most popular sport to date. The national football team is called Club M and represents the country in international matches. Mauritius also has solid teams in volleyball and basketball, all competing to a high standard. If water-sports are you thing then Mauritius will spoil you with an array of aquatic activities from scuba-diving, to kite-surfing to sailing on the crystal seas all over the island.

The highlights of this trip is the climb of Le Morne to see the underwater waterfall and this UNESCO World Heritage Site with significant cultural importance for Mauritian people.

Accommodation
For the duration of your stay in Mauritius, you will be staying in a basic but comfortable house, with dorm style accommodation with all the facilities you need.

Food
Breakfast is included on a help yourself basis. Lunch and dinner can be prepared in groups or individually as there is a supermarket close by and good storage at the accommodation.

Airport Pick-Up
You will be met at the airport by a member of the team and taken back to your accommodation.

Training
Full project induction and orientation will be provided during your intro week.

Support
Pre-departure help and advice; local in country team; 24 hour emergency support.

Transport
Transport to and from your sports project and intro week locations will be provided by our in-country team. Transport will include public and private: taxi, bus, boat, bicycle. Participants will be expected to walk to and from locations when travelling short distances

Flights; Travel Insurance; Visa; Vaccinations; CRB / DBS Check; Airport Drop-Off (but we will help you get local transport); Spending Money

Preferred Duration
4 to 6 weeks will give you a good amount of time to settle in and develop the relationships that are important for the programme and you. Anything longer has even more value if you can commit to it.

Pre-requisites
You need some basic knowledge in the sport you want to be involved with as you will need to run training drills alongside this. You are expected to be friendly, adaptable and creative when working with the kids during their coaching sessions.

Ideal for
Sports Development in Mauritius; Gap Year Sports in Mauritius; Career Break Sports Opportunities; Playing Football in Mauritius

Suitable for ages 18 to 60

Most participants are between 18 and 25, so please be aware of this. We do welcome older people because of the value and experience they bring to the community.