It is often said that sport helps to bring individuals and communities together by breaking down barriers so as to achieve a common goal. The Australian Sports Commission’s All Australian Sporting Initiative (AASI) follows this principle by using sport and structured physical activity to foster social inclusion.

Built on the foundations of the Active After-school Communities (AASC) program, the three-year pilot of AASI began in 2006 in the NSW regions of Lakemba and Macquarie Fields.

Judy Flanagan, the Director of Community Sport at the Australian Sports Commission, said the AASI essentially operates in the same way as the AASC program, providing free after-school sport and structured physical activity sessions for schools and out of school hours care services (OSHCS). However, the AASI is structured slightly differently with the inclusion of a community sport officer to provide more opportunities to stimulate local community involvement in sport.

‘As with the AASC program, the AASI has a core focus on promoting social inclusion. This has been enhanced through the introduction of cultural awareness training for all community coaches delivering in the program.’

A key activity used by the AASI to foster social inclusion is its uniquely run sports gala days, involving children from a variety of schools/OSHCS and cultures.

Flanagan said that through a simple method of using different coloured t-shirts, children were able to integrate and feel a sense of belonging to a team.

‘Each participating school receives a variety of different coloured t-shirts and on the day of the event, children are matched with children from other schools wearing the same coloured shirt. By using these different coloured t-shirts, barriers are instantly forgotten as children work together as a team and are no longer recognised as children from school/OSHCS X or culture Y, but as team red, yellow or blue.’

‘Friendships are created as children have great fun working together to achieve a common goal. The gala days are a great way to encourage children to mix with other children they have not met before,’ Flanagan said.

The AASI gala days continue to be a huge success, with the last event in November 2007 attracting over 700 children from 14 primary schools and out of school hours care services.