International trip to Fiji ignites Luke’s passion

Big dreams to help others

Luke Pope has aspirations to become a Sports Teacher. After having some time out of education when he finished college, he decided to study a Foundation Year at university before starting our BA (Hons) Sport and Education course, which is now called Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport.

When asked why he chose Derby for his studies, Luke explained “I knew that I would like to pursue a career within teaching and this course seemed to be catered perfectly towards what I was looking for. I chose to study at the University of Derby as I live locally and had heard it is a good university to study sport courses due to its great on-site facilities.”

Our BA undergraduate degree has allowed Luke the opportunity to develop his confidence, as well as a range of hands-on learning experiences: 

“Professionally, this course has allowed me to succeed in gaining key knowledge and experience in teaching and learning. Through the school-based placements and multiple opportunities to coach and lead sports sessions, I have been able to get valuable experience that has transferred over to my time teaching and will continue to do so.”

Experiences that can take you around the world

Luke has also enjoyed the range of trips on offer throughout the course.

“The residential trips offered with the course have been a highlight, in particular our visit to Pembrokeshire which was a great opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone, learn about a variety of niche sporting activities and enjoy participating in them.”

Luke was fortunate enough to travel to Fiji to join the Think Pacific’s sport development project as part of the Turing Scheme. The aim of the project was to promote health, wellness and youth empowerment in rural communities.

Luke supported the Fijian project for a month and during this time he met other volunteers as well as many friendly locals. He stayed with a local family in a small village which was surrounded by beautiful countryside, and was welcomed on his first day with a large formal ceremony.

Throughout the week the schedule was quite structured but the weekends were free to explore. Luke describes a typical day as “having breakfast with our host families before spending the morning participating in the theory sessions which would consist of the volunteers and several of the village ‘youth’ (18-30) taking part in learning and teaching with mixed groups. These sessions covered a variety of deeper topics within sport. After lunch we would then take part in a ‘culture course’ where we would spend each day learning about a different aspect of Fijian culture and these sessions would always be led by one of the village leaders. This was then followed by an hour-long structured sport session where each volunteer would guide their partner/group and deliver a session on their given sport. After this, was an hour free for everyone to play sport where the whole village got involved.”

Having a positive impact on others

By taking part in this project, Luke was able to make a real difference to the lives of locals. He helped to develop their leadership and sport skills while increasing participation in physical activity.  When asked about how his competence and knowledge developed and what he gained from the trip, Luke replied:

“Participating in a Think Pacific sport development project has provided me with a wide range of skills and knowledge that have significantly benefited my personal and professional growth. I have developed sports coaching techniques and learned how to plan and deliver structured sports sessions effectively. Leading groups of young people has enhanced my leadership and communication skills, while collaborating with international and local participants has improved my teamwork abilities. Immersing myself in Fijian culture has deepened my appreciation for cultural diversity, and I have gained resilience by adapting to challenging environments. This experience has also sharpened my problem-solving skills, boosted my confidence, and improved my time management and organisational abilities.”