Spotlight: Glow Up Central Goldfields LDAT
The Glow Up Central Goldfields Local Drug Action Team formed a few years ago when local services saw an opportunity to get members of the Karen and Afghan former refugee community involved with sporting clubs in regional Victoria.
Some newly settled people with refugee background can have difficulties learning to live in a new and foreign environment. We know anyone with a background of trauma and deprivation are more susceptible to risk taking behaviours.
They may face mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) challenges due to trauma and social isolation in a new country. Participation in sport fosters a sense of belonging and is a protective factor against AOD harm.
The sports program has been hugely successful and is something community leaders and the staff of the LDAT lead organisation - Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS) - are justifiably proud of.
“The program is growing; it brings people together. I like when I see the young people come in. People turn up when you organise sport - they can meet new friends, see old friends, and build relationships,” said Nido Taveesupmai, Refugee Project Worker at BCHS.
This extremely experienced LDAT, Glow Up Central Goldfields, is now working on its fourth Community Action Plan (CAP).
The challenge
In 2018, LDAT partner, Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) Bendigo, noted a rise in younger people from the Karen community requiring AOD treatment and support. They also saw that young people were having trouble understanding how to engage in local recreational activities like sport
“There’s a lot of stress and sadness of losing loved ones in war zones and this can increase risk-taking and unsettled behaviours,” explained Kaye Graves, Senior Leader – Refugee and Cultural Diversity at BCHS.
Workers at YSAS and BCHS knew that traditional AOD intervention and prevention messages may not be fully understood or culturally appropriate for their audience, so they needed to find another way to reach them. Sport was identified as a potential solution.
While sport is a great way to bring people together, and is a protective factor against AOD harm, it’s generally not easily accessible for new former refugees.
In fact, there are multiple barriers people from migrant and refugee backgrounds face when it comes to participating in sport including a lack of culturally appropriate facilities and opportunities, practical and financial constraints, and racism - major challenges that the LDAT needed to consider.
The response
The LDAT decided on a multifaceted approach – upskilling people to connect others in with local services, creating culturally appropriate resources and bringing the community together through sports.
BCHS delivered a suite of cultural sensitivity training for YSAS staff, building their knowledge about the refugee journey and how to engage in a culturally safe way around AOD treatment, support, and prevention.
Community consultation was also an important part of the process.
“One of the keys to this program is that Nido is a leader within the Karen community. He understands them, has lived experience. The community trusts BCHS as an organisation because we have a longstanding relationship with them [having managed refugee settlement for 13 years]. I sit with people and ask about what’s going on for them,” said Kaye.
During 2019-2020, two Karen bi-cultural workers participated in a 12-week mentoring program on AOD use, equipping them to then run an engagement activity with 38 young Karen people to understand their perspective and experiences on AOD and settlement issues.
To address the cultural and language barriers, the LDAT also developed AOD print and audiovisual resources in Karen on topics like vaping, to make the information more accessible for everyone.
In March 2022, BCHS hired the first Karen AOD recovery worker in Bendigo. She attends sporting events to connect with the community and, as a result, some Karen people have started using the BCHS AOD service.
After community members were upskilled around AOD, it was time for the next phase.
Following lots of consultation and planning, the Bendigo Sports Inclusion Program was born.
BCHS worked closely with Sports Focus Bendigo to codesign and implement the new program.
It engages with sporting clubs and police to enable Karen and Afghan former refugees to get involved with sports activities and the wider community in Bendigo.
To make sure the process of participants visiting sporting clubs – some for the first time in their lives – went smoothly, the LDAT delivered capacity building sessions to clubs and police.
“The Refugee Council of Australia reports that some clubs don’t understand the former refugee community, so it was key to build local sports clubs’ refugee-sensitive approach,” explained Kaye.
The results
With all the preparation done, it was time to play some sport!
When the sports program was launched, the main sports were soccer, volleyball, and cane ball – a sport from southeast Asia, similar to volleyball but without using hands.
Every year, it’s expanded to new sports such as golf, basketball, badminton, netball, lawn bowling, rowing, tennis and swimming.
The program has gone from strength to strength, reaching hundreds of Karen and Afghan community members.
The LDAT’s recently completed third CAP, reached 347 locals during 2022 and 2023.
Overall, 1,323 participants have been involved since 2019, including 45 volunteers.
To make sure the program is always meeting community needs, the reference group meets every two months to discuss issues and share project updates. Members include Sports Focus, Vic Pol, YSAS, BCHS Karen staff. The Karen Organisation Bendigo and Bendigo Karen Youth Network support the program with engagement of participants and promoting events
Four capacity building sessions for sporting clubs were held during the third CAP, involving Vic Pol and two soccer clubs, with more set to run in 2024.
Some clubs have even sponsored memberships for the former refugee participants.
South Bendigo Bowls Club has covered social membership fees for six Karen community members, plus another three people have been sponsored by club members to play lawn bowls for 12 months.
There’s been great feedback from so many of the participants, reporting that they’ve increased their communication skills, sports organising skills, and now understand how to register for sport and which clubs to go to with their families.
“We like playing badminton, but we don’t have money to pay for the court to play. Thanks for organising the ‘Come and Try’ session,” said one participant.
“I come from the refugee camp, where there was no river. Now I can come with my kids to learn to swim in the swimming pool,” said another participant.
And the successes aren’t just confined to the court or pool.
Last year, the program was recognised for its impact when it was a finalist at Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence.
Advice to other LDATs
Kaye and Nido have some great advice for other LDATs to consider when developing a Community Action Plan aimed at young people:
- understand your community and the barriers they face
- work with lived experience leaders and community members, as they know the community better
- try to understand why people aren’t participating, what are the barriers?
- hold focus groups to find out more about the community’s needs
- ensure you have culturally appropriate education for parents and participants
- touch base and be in contact with the participants regularly
- include ongoing consultation with a reference group which supports and guides the program
- use action-oriented evaluation of what has and hasn’t worked so the program can keep improving
- don’t forget to thank the people who make it all happen – encourage and acknowledge your volunteers.