from yaprap February-March 2011
by Isabel Seidel
yaprap Feature Writer
For many young male refugees, sport is a major vehicle for bridging cultural differences. However, for many young refugee women, the barriers to accessing sport can deny them this opportunity.
The Youth Empowerment through Sport Program (YES) commenced in early 2009 with the key aim of engaging young, primarily Muslim, women in sporting activities delivered in a culturally sensitive manner. YES was developed by SydWest MSI Multicultural Services, which provides advice, services and activities for the settlement needs of refugees and humanitarian entrants in Sydney’s Blacktown and Penrith local government areas.
YES was developed in consultation with young women from Muslim backgrounds as well as their parents, teachers and community representatives. Funding for the program came from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s (DIAC) Diversity and Social Cohesion program (previously called the Diverse Australia program and National Action Plan). SydWest MSI humanitarian youth worker Catherine Johnson was able to use the funding to employ a YES Project Worker Assmaah Helal to coordinate the program.
So, what did YES involve? Sporting activities, but also coaching, umpiring and first-aid training. Youth leadership and mentoring training were provided to give the young women the skills needed to encourage other young people from their communities to participate in sport. It also enabled young women to feel confident to join mainstream sporting clubs. Some of the activities organised through the YES program included:
- Swimming – Girls participated in swimming lessons as well as health and safety information sessions. For example, Mecca Laalaa, the first Muslim woman in Australia to become a lifeguard, spoke about beach safety and youth participation.
- Saturday soccer – A weekly soccer training program was run in partnership with Football United, based at University of NSW. It uses a football development program to promote well being, and foster social inclusion in Australian society. Girls also participated in a female indoor soccer gala with the Afghan Australian cultural and sporting association.
- Futsal (indoor soccer) tournament – In partnership with Football United, the first ever girls only Futsal tournament was organised over a 6 week period during the summer holidays. Eight teams of 6-8 girls from communities such as the Pakistani, Afghani, Sudanese, Bhutanese and Iranian registered for this weekly tournament. Every Sunday morning the teams were placed in a draw and competed against each other in a round robin competition.
- Schools program – The project worker developed the female component of the Evans High School after-school soccer project in partnership with Football United. A multimedia project was also developed in partnership with the Australian Islamic College of Sydney.
- Camps – One girls' soccer camp and one women’s and girls’ camp was organised in partnership with other SydWest MSI DIAC-funded projects. Mothers were also invited and for many young women it was the only camp they were allowed to attend because the camp included mothers from the community as chaperones.
Outcomes of YES program
- Over 300 young women have participated in the sporting programs. Programs such as the girls-only swimming had over 50 young women involved. Over 30 young women attended the soccer camp and 25 young women in the Women and Girls Camp.
- Increase in young women’s confidence
- Development of new skills
- Increased interest in youth leadership, mentoring activities, first aid training and program coordination
- Development of new skills needed to participate in mainstream sporting clubs and organisations
- Increased interest in becoming female leaders in sport through leadership training, coaching and refereeing.
It appears from this list that the YES program was successful in engaging young women from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in sport. There were many lessons learnt, such as the importance of developing programs that cater to specific cultural needs while balancing this with the need to be part of the general community. As Catherine Johnson says ‘what I learnt through the program is to make it fun and make it accessible’. Even though funding for the program finished in 2010, activities have still taken place through SydWest MSI Humanitarian Youth and Women’s project (both funded by DIAC Settlement Grant Program). Activities have also continued through the project partners such as the Saturday soccer program, girls only swimming lessons, girl’s camp and submitting girls' teams into the local futsal league.
On a final note, YES is an innovative grassroots community program that provides an important model of engaging young women from diverse cultures in sport. As Assmaah Helal said ‘it gave the young women an opportunity to participate in sport in a culturally appropriate way’. As she said the swimming program was extremely popular because it was sensitive to their cultural needs. The YES program model promotes collaboration within community, sporting groups and community organisations. I reckon if any youth services are stuck for ideas on how to engage young women from diverse backgrounds then a program modelled around YES would be worth exploring.
More information
Youth Project - SydWest Multicultural Services
Catherine Johnson, Coordinator
- (02) 9621 6633
- catherine@sydwestmsi.org.au
- www.sydwestmsi.org.au
Football United - Refugee Youth Soccer Development Program
UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine