15 June 2010 - The French Federation invests on young people to plan for the future

The French Federation invests on young people to plan for the future Lausanne – 15 June 2010   To be a coach at 16 years old, a judge at 14, or participate in the management of a club or federation projects might seem unusual. Not so for the young members of the French Archery Federation (FFTA) who can undergo training that allows them to be involved in archery before they reach their 18th Birthday.   Coaches The Level 1 Coaches Course is designed so that potential coaches can provide adequate introduction to the sport of archery and instruct beginners to be able to compete at club competition level. This coaching course is open to all FFTA licence-holders aged from 16 years old onwards enabling those young members who already have experience in shooting to assist their club in being responsible of new beginners.   Young Judges Young licence-holders, trained from 14 years old, can judge "Youth Competitions" in their region. These competitions are reserved for young beginners. A Young Judge's training consists of two parts: one, a theoretical summary of the rules, followed by a practical course on competitions. These young judges must then take the oath before they can officially serve.   The FFTA has 53 Young Judges. The system was launched in 2001 after testing in two regions (Poitou-Charentes and Lorraine), allowing potential judges to experience the roles and responsibilities. Additional supplementary training allows these judges, as soon as they are 18, to begin as an Assistant Judge and then progress as an Official Judge.   At present, a study has been undertaken in order to allow young people to become Assistant Judges earlier in the coming years.   Young Managers A training course, open to archers between 16 and 19, has been organised every year for more than 20 years. They get theoretical and practical training with plenty of time for networking. This way, the young can get familiar with the administrative management of a FFTA club, and also learn how to put projects in place.   Every year, there is an opportunity for these young judges to participate in debates relating to aspects of the federal politics; and a chance to meet with the FFTA President.   The Young Managers are led and encouraged to involve themselves in projects within their club, department or region. Since 2009, the Young Managers Commission has been founded in the FFTA to follow their projects in the long term.   Since 2007, the Young Managers are involved in FFTA projects and take part in their implementation on the field. This way, Young Judges and Young Managers meet every year at the Archery Youth Week.   Archery Youth Week Designed as an event "for the youth, by the youth", Archery Youth Week has brought together more than 250 young archers who compete in a healthy atmosphere since its first edition in 2007. The week takes place in two parts: one individual tournament open to all, and then the Regional Youth Team French Championships.   The whole competition is set up as a round-robin (group matches) tournament, thus allowing young archers to train in matches three weeks before the Individual French Championships.   When they arrive, the Young Judges receive additional training, allowing them to autonomously judge all competitions of the week, including the French Championships.   As for the Young Managers, they take part in the organisation, in particular through the animation and organisation of pilot schemes they conceived during their training course. This is how for example, the Cleanness Environment Charter was born, which has now been introduced to all French Championships since 2010. This charter includes durable environment projects and particularly the cleanness enforcement on all venues during tournaments. Zero waste is the goal at the end of the day.   Communication on Actions The Young Managers Commission promotes its actions as well as on FFTA actions devoted to the youth on its website www.jeunesffta.fr.   Through such actions, the FFTA is confident on its youth to prepare a secure and successful future!   Dominique OHLMANN
Assistant Secretary General of FFTA
President of Youth Managers Commission

Edited by World Archery Communication