The Power of Sport

During the final week of the first semester, through ‘The Power of Sport’ students were introduced to the ‘Power of Athletics,’ a term-long course that focuses on both the impact of being a part of a sporting community on people’s inclusivity within sports and the culture surrounding it. This will cover subjects including diversity, accessibility, and how to overcome the barriers that many people encounter when trying to join a sporting group. Consider the adaptations that have been made to sports to make them more accessible, such as wheelchair sports. Ashley Jenner, SEDA’s Director of Learning Innovations, addressed the subject himself, as shown below:  

“Every day, millions of people from all over the world pour their blood, sweat and tears into their sport of choice. This can be as a player, coach, parent, administrator or even just as a fan! What is it about sports that brings out our inner passions, and how is this different for others in our communities and across the world? In The Power of Sport, students explore how elite, grassroots, and modified sports have the power to change lives. They consider common barriers to sports participation and develop programs to help overcome these barriers. They also consider their own focus sports and look at ways to make these more accessible to all people in the community. Finally, they connect with their peers to experience how teamwork and collaboration can lead to improvements in both performance and participation.” – Ashley Jenner, Director of Learning Innovations 

As an introduction to the task, students were able to meet and speak to Michael Neroni. Michael runs Novita’s ‘WHEELIENET’ program. This is a service in which they bring wheelchairs to courts to help people develop a better understanding of the concerns and obstacles that individuals with disabilities face in a fun and engaging way. Throughout this day students, all spoke about how positively it affected them. They mentioned how much empathy and respect they had built up for people who were affected by disabilities.  

“It was extremely tough to adjust to using a wheelchair, especially in a sporting setting. Hearing [Michael Neroni’s] story was quite inspiring, and it enabled me to let go of some old assumptions that I had bought into.” – Will Emin, Basketball Student 

The class was very thankful for the help that the WHEELIENET program was able to provide, as it gave the students a real immersive introduction to their new subject. The subject will cover the term, and students will complete multiple tasks. We look forward to seeing how students approach the upcoming assignments and how they will have developed by the end of the subject.