QRL HARMONY DAY LAUNCH

Logan Brothers recently hosted the QRL Launch of Harmony Day. 

More on the QRL website http://www.qrl.com.au/default.aspx?s=article-display&id=71100&title=police-hit-petero-with-

See the video of the QRL Harmony Program Launch

group - harmony day

petro - harmony day

This event will be in the same week as Harmony Day, a day of cultural respect held annually on 21 March and managed at a federal level by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.  Harmony Day coincides with the United Nations International Day of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.The message of Harmony Day is Everyone Belongs. In 2013 the theme is: Many Stories – One Australia. 

The QRL was successful in obtaining funding under the Diversity and Social Cohesion Program administered by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to conduct the QRL Harmony program. The project will focus on humanitarian refugees and new arrivals from Burma, Thailand and several African countries who are now residing in the Logan area. We are looking at launching the program on Harmony Day.

Logan has a significant number of recent migrants of non-English speaking background, who are socially isolated and have integration issues related to language barriers and cultural differences. The communities they live in have a strong sporting culture, which underpins the bonding of young people and families in the area. As the migrants and families have neither the language nor the history of participation in the sport, there are clear barriers to integration. Research has found that there is low representation of young people of culturally and linguistially diverse background represented in community sport and leadership roles. The project aims to increase opportunities for identified groups to participate in community life through sporting activities (young people) and volunteering (parents).

A six week pilot project in NSW testing our proposed methodology has shown that integrating activities that build confidence and resilience, coupled with sporting skill development, can markedly increase the integration of young people into mainstream sporting activities which in turn accelerates their acceptance by their peer group within the community. We believe that by running this program over a 12 month period as a rolling program with follow up activities at a local club level, we will see significant benefit both to the refugees new arrivals and the local community.

It will encourage acceptance and understanding of diversity, and developing mutual respect and understanding, thus leading to greater harmony between refugees and the communities in which they settle. Our program is open to male and female participants, which itself gives a strong message about Australian culture. Other than the physical activities of learning to play rugby league, the program will  include a series of health messages based on the PDHPE Syllabus that adopts the strand of Self and Relationships. The program is designed to incorporate messages such as teamwork, respect, developing a positive sense of self, setting goals and finding inspiration, which the participants can then use to establish meaningful and respectful relationships.

The program facilitators will be from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and therefore the interactive teaching styles will be suited to the target group. This opens up numerous participation and inclusion opportunities for the participants as rugby league is a popular social activity, but is also played in schools and enjoyed by many in the community as spectators. Junior rugby league clubs tend to have large numbers of members and are diverse and inclusive, so once the basic skills are taught there are great opportunities for meaningful relationships to be created. There is also an opportunity to engage the participants in modified, minimal contact social versions of the game, which may be more suited to some of the participants as either a preferred choice or 'softer' introduction to the game, but one that still provides the clear opportunities to enjoy participation and develop a clear understanding of the game and its rules, thus allowing greater social interaction.

The project will teach the younger people how to play the game of rugby league, work with others and engage with them as part of a team, and find inspiration to set and achieve goals in life. These things mirror some of the lessons that Rugby League through a range of its community programs deliver to children within the school system, so provides an intensive program to support new migrants in understanding and fitting into Australian culture. The adults will be offered the opportunity to participate as spectators and volunteers within clubs.