Swim club might help migrant women make connections
A swim-club program in north New South Wales is helping migrant women settle into their new surroundings in a unique way. The program is helping Kurdish Ezidi women form new connections and better their English, whilst also having some fun in the water.
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00:00 In the little town of Armidale, nestled away in the New South Wales North West,
00:09 Azidi migrants have been welcomed to the community with open arms,
00:13 thanks to a unique program devised by the University of New England.
00:17 The Women's Recreational Swimming Group is part of the broader Driving Social Inclusion
00:24 through Sport and Physical Activity program.
00:27 In order to get people from newly arrived migrant backgrounds more involved
00:30 in the broader Armidale community using sport as the vehicle.
00:33 It's such a difference because the culture is really different.
00:37 It was difficult to learn but we try our best to be better.
00:43 Thanks to an Australian Government humanitarian program established more than 10 years ago,
00:48 the Azidi community has gone on to call Armidale home since 2018.
00:52 And it's through sport and physical activity that the University of New England
00:56 has spearheaded that engagement and also break down cultural barriers.
01:00 UNE lecturer Dr Samia Bakhla is from Iran but was invited to participate in the program by Dr O'Neill.
01:07 Just coming to this session I felt really joy and happiness.
01:12 It is a really opportunity for us to meet each other and to meet women from different cultures,
01:19 from different countries.
01:21 One, two, three.
01:27 As for what lies ahead with the future of the program, Dr Christy O'Neill says they are hopeful
01:32 of continuing Azidi inclusion activities like the swim club.
01:36 It's been really valuable to have the input of Rotary, the Australian Government Department of Health
01:42 and the Primary Health Network funding this activity to date.
01:46 We're very grateful, I'm very grateful and I know the women are very grateful too.
01:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]