Gippsport have organised a fun swimming day for members of the Sudanese community in the Latrobe region.

Sports Without Borders was recognised by the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) with an award for its contribution and services to multiculturalism.

The Ambassador Award was accepted by SWB chairperson James Demetriou at the annual VMC Awards for Excellence, held at Government house. It acknowledges the organisation’s work in helping those from refugee and first and second generation migrant backgrounds to participate in their communities through their involvement in sport.

It is many a young child’s dream to one day play for top UK soccer club,
Arsenal. But for Weldemhret Gerezgeher, known to most as Will, this became
more than a dream.

Melad Selman is not unlike most other 14 year old boys. He gets his thrills and kicks from playing soccer.

For the past two years, Belmore North’s Aussie Rules team, one of the best school teams in NSW, has been the proud home to Alex and Andrew Jalloh.In September SWB presented them with a $1500 grant. It was presented to the elated boys by James Demetriou, the SWB chairperson.

The newly appointed Project Officer for Sports without Borders, Dolores, will be the first point of call for visitors to the foundation.

Although this year’s soccer season is over, players of the newly formed Mandella Soccer Club continue to play and train socially at the ground they have been given for the summer. Besides being a vital source of exercise, for these players the game of soccer offers a social activity and the venue of a soccer club offers a regular meeting place for their community.

The area of Flemington and Kensington, known to the locals as ‘KenFlem’ and to the rest of Australia as the home of Australia’s premier horse racing track, is turning heads for a different reason this season.

The area is home to a culturally diverse population with one third of residents being born in foreign countries such as Tanzania, Vietnam, Somalia, Ethiopia, Turkey and Greece. It is also home to the Flemington Junior Football Club.

Girls Getting into Sport was funded by Sports Without Borders and run by the South Eastern Region Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) Youth Team. The program ran throughout Term 3 2007 at Eumemmering Secondary College, Fountain Gate Campus.

Rebecca Payne, an ESL and Drama teacher at the school liaised with the MRC and supported the program. Kathryn Voutier and Claudia Trujillo from the MRC Youth Team facilitated the program.

Inclusive sport and recreation programs can be effective tools for engaging newly arrived and refugee young people during the settlement period. The Pathways to Participation forum will include a panel of youth representatives from a variety of regions, sports, and cultural backgrounds.