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Making Sport Welcoming for Migrants with Michelle Hage
Making sport more welcoming for migrants

Making Sport Welcoming for Migrants with Michelle Hage

English Language Learners, podcast, Sport

Language barriers, dress codes, racism and sexism. We’re exploring how to make sport more welcoming for migrants with the Western Bulldogs’ Michelle Hage.

CLICK PLAY to listen to my conversation with Michelle Hage

Episode 30 – Show Guest

Making Sport Welcoming for Migrants with Michelle Hage

Michelle Hage (Photo Supplied)

Michelle Hage is the Community Empowerment Manager at the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation in Melbourne, Australia.

Episode Summary

Just imagine, you’re a newly arrived refugee or migrant in an unfamiliar country: your new home.

How do you build your self-confidence? How do you make new friends outside your community? And how do you start to feel more like a local?

For the Refugee Council of Australia, SPORT is key. It’s an important bridge to the new culture

But what about the language barriers and dress codes for sports? And what about the opposition or resistance, both within and outside your community? Aren’t these significant hurdles to overcome?

Our guest Michelle Hage, from the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, has practical insights and strategies in all these areas. Plus there’s a few challenges to our presumptions along the way.

We also chat about the importance of role models, and the link between diversity and growth for sports clubs.

There’s also the Lightning Round where we’re pushing the edges of belonging, traditional sports, language and sport, participation, and mindset.

And one last thing, Michelle’s organisation The Western Bulldogs made history in 2016. They won their first Australian Football League premiership in 62 years.

It was an sporting event that captivated people right across Melbourne and Victoria, highlighting the unique role that sport can play in uniting people, regardless of their differences.

What barriers? Making sport more inclusive and welcoming for migrants

Episode Run-down

▪ Michelle Hage introduces herself

▪ Why making sport inclusive matters to Michelle

▪ What barriers affect refugee and migrant participation in sports and how can we overcome such?

▪ Why role-models in sport matter

▪ How we can respond to opposition or push-back

▪ The power of making friendships outside one’s community

▪ We’re all teachers and learners – How we can learn so much from our participants

▪ Why sports organisations should reach out to diverse communities

▪ How you can step up and lead change in sporting environments

▪ The Lightning Round – where speed and agility are key

▪ Michelle’s sporting journey – the unifying power of sport

Show Tweet-back

Language is never a barrier to participating in sport - Making sport welcoming for migrants

Making Sport Welcoming for Migrants – Related Links

Physical Education and Sports Resources

Check out my Social Justice and Sport Resource Page.

You’ll find inspiring activists and organisations, plus plenty of articles that’ll fire you up to make change happen.

Click the photo to get started.

Pushing the Edge for diversity in sports

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About The Author

Greg Curran

Dr Greg Curran is a primary and EAL/D teacher, specialising in digital literacy, maths teaching, and building a thinking classroom. Greg has extensive experience as a lecturer in teacher education, in the fields of literacy, health promotion, gender and sexual diversity, EAL/D teaching methods, and E-Learning. Greg hosts and produces the social-justice in education podcast, Pushing The Edge with Greg Curran. He also blogs on this website.