Dasheen is among a family of root crops or “ground provisions” grown on the islands of the English-speaking Caribbean, dating back to the early 16th century. Also known as taro, blue food and kalo, historians say that the crop arrived to the Caribbean aboard Trans-Atlantic slave ships, along with African food culture and agro-ecological knowledge.

Stories are told of African slaves foraging for the large, elephant ear leaves of the dasheen plant to make a stew called callaloo or in cassava fufu, a popular West African staple. Steeped in the trials of a colonial past, dasheen is one of a handful of crops that made their way into diets as a product of resourcefulness and making do with little.

Given its historical roots, the starchy tuber has not traditionally been associated with fine dining. Nor has it typically received any degree of noteworthy acclaim, despite its influence on local culture, and substantive nutritional, environmental and economic value.

But with the advent of more conscious eating patterns, the trendiness of farm to fork dining and an upsurge in demand for authentic culinary experiences and indigenous foods, the tuber has been experiencing a global resurgence.

Callaloo, the national dish of Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica, has become the most common recipe associated with dasheen leaves, and is enjoyed throughout the region and around the world. Introduced to a global audience in the 1980’s, as one of Dr Heathcliff Huxtable’s favourite foods in The Cosby Show, callaloo is thought to be an adaptation of a West African stew called palaver or palaya sauce and is traditionally served with a protein such as crab, salt fish or oxtail.

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) is converting its #10Golds2024 athlete welfare and preparation fund into its Team TTO Foundation as part of efforts to better financially support athletes.

The TTOC approved the change, which President Brian Lewis said should be completed by the end of the year, during its recent Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Fuelled by the TTOC’s annual marathon walk and merchandising, the fund has helped raise money for Olympic-bound athletes since it was created in December 2014.

"The lawyers are currently working on the necessary documentation for the conversion to a foundation," Lewis said.

"That is anticipated to be done by the end of 2020.

"This was presented inside the annual report which was approved."

The TTOC launched the #10Golds2024 initiative as part of the organisation's goal of winning 10 Olympic gold medals by the 2024 Games in Paris.

The National Olympic Committee also approved a considerable overhaul of its marketing strategy during the meeting.

Its marketing committee has been disbanded, with another group established to assess its strategy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused financial problems for organisations across sport and the Olympic Movement.

"The new marketing working group was formed with a view to establish a couple companies within the TTOC," Lewis said.

"One of which will be Team TTO Marketing Ltd and the other, Team TTO Media.

"We’re currently in the process of doing the necessary business plan and legal steps.

"The AGM was informed that we will be coming to them with more details in the coming months.

"We felt that was an important strategic imperative."

Lewis, also the President of the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees, warned there was "a lot of work to do" regarding governance after a report on its national sports organisations was presented at the meeting.

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A complete overhaul of its marketing strategy and the conversion of its 10 Gold by 2024 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund were some of the major decisions made at the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) Annual General Meeting on Saturday.

But first, 32 delegates voted unanimously passed two amendments to the TTOC's constitution.

A new clause (Clause 22A) was inserted into Article 29 of the constitution to allow the staging and/or conducting of all meetings via teleconference.

The clause states that “any meeting, hearing or related activity which is being conducted in accordance with the committee’s constitution can be facilitated by any electronic or other method (which is facilitated by prevailing technology), which permits each attendee to view the other during the meeting without having to appear physically and in the same geographic location.”

Additionally, another amendment was inserted under Clause 16 "Executive" which removed personal liability for executive members and members of any committee or the arbitration tribunal for any decisions they make for the TTOC.

It states, “Members of the executive committee or any committee, body or group (such as the results management committee, arbitral tribunal/tribunal and any other association sponsored or organised by the committee) established by the committee is not personally liable for the debts, liabilities, claims or obligation of the committee.”

Each recommended amendment was passed unanimously.

Also, the TTOC’s 10 Gold by 2024 Athlete Welfare and Preparation Fund will now be converted into the Team TTO Foundation. This fund is fuelled by the TTOC’s annual marathon walk and merchandising to raise funds for Olympic-bound athletes.

Lewis said, “The lawyers are currently working on the necessary documentation for the conversion to a foundation. That is anticipated to be done by the end of 2020. This was presented inside the annual report which was approved.”

In addition, TTOC’s marketing committee was disbanded and another group formed to reassess its marketing strategy during the pandemic. The TTOC executive decided that in order to facilitate the many radical changes and marketing transformations, with the sole objective of driving sustainable revenue, this has become necessary.

Lewis continued, “The new marketing working group was formed with a view to establish a couple companies within the TTOC. One of which will be Team TTO Marketing Ltd and the other, Team TTO Media.

“We’re currently in the process of doing the necessary business plan and legal steps. The AGM was informed that we will be coming to them with more details in the coming months. We felt that was an important strategic imperative.”

According to Lewis, the 2019 annual report would have informed the strategies for 2020, an Olympic year, but that was affected by covid19 and its economic negative impact.

TTOC’s first-ever good governance report was also presented at the AGM. At its last AGM in 2015, an amendment was made where the membership and affiliates unanimously agreed to abide by a good governance commitment.

The governance report was presented inside the annual report. As part of the annual report, the governance report was also part of the governance audit.

“The surveys done in this report, 26 of the 42 affiliates completed the report. This looked at things like reviews of the constitution and certain recommendations. Overall, there was still a lot of work to do in terms of governance,” said the TTOC head.

TTOC’s AGM was supposed to be held in April but was postponed because of the pandemic.

Lewis added, “The overall theme, in context of the annual report, was very transparent about sharing the challenges and risks that the TTOC would be facing. The annual report has been appraised so all the initiatives have been approved. It was successful...but we had to be very real with the member affiliates due to global health crisis.”

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A good governance commitment report will be presented at Saturday’s TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) virtual annual general meeting (AGM).

At its last AGM in 2015, an amendment was made where the membership and affiliates unanimously agreed to abide by a good governance commitment.

This amendment was made after good governance workshops facilitated by Dr Leigh Robinson, head of sport studies, University of Stirling, Scotland. This was a collaborative project between the TTOC and Olympic Solidarity.

Coming out of that process of consultation with all stakeholders including Sport Company of TT, Ministry of Sport and all the member affiliates of the TTOC, it was tabled at the 2015 AGM to make such an amendment.

TTOC president Brian Lewis said Thursday, “Part of that commitment included reporting and a commitment to review constitutions every four years. This is the first time that the report will be presented. It has taken at least four years but it’s an evolutionary step.

“But we believe that the issue surrounding governance in sport and the Olympic Movement requires that the TTOC implements the whole commitment that was made by its members. That is going to be an important aspect of the first virtual AGM.”

Additionally, Saturday’s virtual AGM will feature an amendment to strengthen the mediation and arbitration process of the TTOC.

Prior to the start of the meeting, another amendment to the constitution is expected to be moved to allow virtual council and AGMs.

Once successful, the AGM will be held at 9.30am. Among the items on the agenda are the presentation of the audited financial statements and the annual general report.

Lewis added, “It’s all about digitalisation and digitisation. The TTOC has accelerated its digitalisation and digitisation transformation. It all augurs well for the future. The TTOC will really be taking the whole digital virtual process extremely seriously. The intention is to transition the TTOC to a paperless operation.”

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) is expected to amend its constitution to accelerate the organisation’s transformation to a more digital environment and present a Good Governance report when its AGM comes off from 9.30 a.m. this morning.

The AGM will also move an amendment to strengthen...

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The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee (TTOC) is committed to making Long-Term Development the industry standard for their sport system, and recently teamed up with Sport for Life to put on a six-part web series available to industry professionals. Aimed at addressing identified gaps in their athlete pathways, the Zoom meetings were ultimately a well-attended success.

Reflecting on the experience, TTO Olympic Committee Secretary General Annette Knott said this latest collaboration is just the latest development in a relationship that’s been growing since Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) participated in a Sport for Life pilot project in 2015. She’s thrilled to see the relationship flourishing. 

“With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing all of us to rethink how we operate, the TTOC grasped this opportunity to upgrade our coaching education and use the additional time afforded to all at home to upgrade skills. The webinars introduced the concepts to some and to many they became a welcomed refresher course on Long-Term Development,” she said. 

“Thanks to the experts from Sport for Life and our team here on the ground in Trinidad and Tobago, Anthony Marcano and Kion Williams, we are renewed and refreshed in our motivation and vision for ensuring that our sport, education and health systems acknowledge, encourage and integrate. the concepts of  Long Term Development as a way of life.”

Addressing drop-out at the Train to Train stage

Sharon Bravo-Phillip knew what she needed to learn before even signing up for the webinar. 

Earlier this year, the Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) Gymnastics trustee and public relations officer registered for Sport for Life’s Zoom six-part series on how to properly implement Long-Term Development into her sport organization. She’d already identified a problem within their structure she wanted to address: there seemed to be an unusually high drop-out rate at the Train to Train stage. She wanted to understand the issue better so that she could help keep the athletes engaged.

“I believe in continuous learning, so I participated in the Long-Term Development webinar. I was hoping to get an overview based on the data as to why this drop off at the Train to Train stage was happening, and most importantly recommended steps to correct it or prevent it from happening,” she told Sport for Life. 

“I truly appreciated and enjoyed all the selected instructors as they shared their knowledge and experience on the topic. The webinar helped immensely by identifying the gaps I have to address as a coach and then also as an organization to truly ensuring physical literacy is a part of every program.”

The class also clarified her thinking about one of the issues TTO is facing: the lack of supportive community infrastructure. Seeing the juxtaposition of some of the sport programs in Canada and comparing them to the existing ones in her country made for a stark comparison. On the other hand, fun exercises and ice-breakers “reminded us of our rich culture that we sometimes take for granted because it is what we are used to.”

Keeping kids active without breaking the bank

The webinar was delivered by Long-Term Development expert Adam Decker, with support from Sport for Life team members such as facilitator Drew Mitchell and Kabir Hosein - who is also from TTO - as well as Carolyn Trono and Tom Jones. With nearly 100 attendees at each webinar so far, the series has proven to be a hit in the Caribbean. Decker has worked with sport organizations all over the world, but said it was an exciting new experience to be exposed to TTO culture. 

“It was refreshing to hear that a lot of the issues they were having to establish Long-Term Development were similar to issues we’ve faced in Canada. Their culture in TTO is different but in the big picture we’re looking at similar themes in terms of the system challenges that were taking place,” said Decker. 

“We spent a lot of time talking about the high rates of athletes dropping out, and the reasons are the same in TTO and Canada — things like coaches focusing too much on winning rather development, not enough time for school or a social life, and too much training that leads to mental and physical burn-out.”

Decker covered daily monitoring strategies, sensitive periods of training, and organizational issues that can lead to athlete disengagement. A common theme was how to accomplish some of the loftier goals on a shoe-string budget.

“The financial barriers came up a lot. That exists in Canada as well, but it’s amplified in TTO, and that’s not something you would naturally assume. I think many people picture it as this glamorous and wealthy place, but that’s not necessarily always the case. So we discussed solutions and alternatives that will give them the ability to keep kids active without having to break the bank.”

Two of the elements that made the web series successful, according to Sport for Life’s Senior Manager of Operations and Newcomers Engagement Kabir Hosein, was that facilitators used examples from TTO while using an interactive PDF guidebook that participants could fill out and make relevant to their operating context.

“In each module the facilitator would give a Canadian or theoretical example, then I would add a TTo example and in some cases I asked participants to unmute themselves and add to it, which added a local flavour to the classes that I think was appreciated.”

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