By RUSSELL BENNETT
BASKETBALL has always been a sport without borders, and a unique initiative based out of the Dandenong Basketball Stadium has proved just how powerful the sport can be in connecting people of different nationalities.
Young refugees involved in the New Kids on the Basketball Court were officially celebrated on Friday afternoon at the stadium, with the new basketball players introduced to Australia’s sporting way of life.
The program, which was introduced as a pilot in 2011, is jointly funded by the Australian Sports Commission and CatholicCare.
It has seen 22 Sudanese and Afghani young people, and their families, spend the past 10 weeks learning the ins and outs of the game of basketball.
“Everyone wants to be able to play,” said Tomasa Morales – team leader for CatholicCare’s Refugee and Settlement Program.
“The idea is getting kids in early and helping newly-arrived families who have had settlement issues and know limited English.
“The program gauges their interest in basketball and, hopefully, the kids go on to join a local team.”
According to CatholicCare, mainstream sport provides a way for young people to “alleviate some of the barriers they face in settling into their new way of life, and gives them a sense of belonging within their local communities”.
The initiative is targeted at youngsters between the ages of 12 and 15.
Doveton resident Mahsooma Alikhani’s two daughters Hanya and Maryam both took part on Friday.
The Afghani refugees have been in Australia for the past two years, 11 months of which were spent in detention centres.
Mahsooma said the best part about living in Australia was the freedom she could secure for her young family.
Both her daughters have literally jumped at the chance to play basketball, and each dreams of joining a local team.
Maybe one day they’ll use the skills they learnt at the Dandenong stadium to good effect with the Dandenong Rangers.
