MELB, UNE and VU receive social inclusion funding from Australian Government

Photo credit: Victoria University Sport

The University of Melbourne (MELB), University of New England (UNE) and Victoria University (VU) have been successful in obtaining funding for social inclusion initiatives through the Australian Government Department of Health’s $19 million Driving Social Inclusion through Sport and Physical Activity grant program announced today.

The national Driving Social Inclusion through Sport and Physical Activity grant program aims to support more people in engaging with sport and physical activity through promoting diversity, building inclusive and connected communities, and helping vulnerable and disadvantaged Australians to develop social links.

Engaging more people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in community sport and physical activity will be the focus for UNE, increasing opportunities for Armidale’s newly settled Ezidi refugees and other recently arrived Australian migrants. Using the $204,253 allocated in funding UNE will provide access to free and flexible sport and fitness offerings through local providers, allowing more people to gain from the physical, social and mental benefits associated with sport and regular exercise. More information here.

The VU two-year project awarded $330,000 in funding titled ‘Change Makers: Empowering sports to enhance social inclusion for migrants and refugees’ will focus on encouraging newly arrived migrants and refugees in Melbourne’s west to participate in sport and physical activity. The initiative will engage with local council and associations to identify 60 volunteer Change Makers who will participate in workshops and mentoring programs to co-create sustainable programs aimed at increasing equity, diversity and inclusion in a variety of sports. More information here.

MELB received $315,500 for their proposed social inclusion initiative which focuses on co-designing, implementing and evaluating an intervention to tackle racism and Islamophobia in junior sport.