Hal Wilson - Student-Athletes & Social Change

From Apathy to Advocacy: Student-

athletes & Social ChangeDr. Sarah Hillyer

Director of the UT Center for Sport, Peace, & Society

Dr. Ashleigh HuffmanAsst. Director of the UT Center for Sport, Peace, &

Society

Mr. Hal WilsonPh.D. student, Socio-Cultural Studies

The University of Tennessee State’s flagship institution Land-grant, research university 28,000 students– 50 states– 100 foreign countries

Ranked in top 50 – striving for Top 25 Ready for the World, VOL Vision

The University of Tennessee Athletics 500+ student-athletes 23 National Titles in 25 years 150 SEC titles Community Service– East TN Children’s Hospital– Boys & Girls Club– Habitat for Humanity– April Play Day

UT Center forSport, Peace, & Society

UT Center for Sport, Peace, & Society

Activities of the Center Coursework Research/Curriculum Development Sports clinics (local and abroad) U.S. Dept. of State “Empowering

Women and Girls through Sports” Exchange Program

Women in Sport: An International Perspective Explores the ways sport intersects– Religion– Politics– Education– Culture– Gender

U.S., China, South Africa, Israel, & Iran

Service-Learning: Sport & Community Development 4.7 million Iraqis displaced 250 families living in

Knoxville 4 self-identified needs:

health, community, education, and friendship

Weekly exercise classes for the women; after-school sports program for the kids

Connecting the dots:From theory to practice Since 2008, 50 student-athletes have been

exposed to ideas of SDP via coursework 165+ student-athletes have been engaged

in more than 120 hours of service 7 sports clinics with refugees or

international populations: Basketball, Softball, Soccer (3), Volleyball (2)

Expose “If it weren’t for this class, I would have

graduated with a degree in Sports Management and pursued a career as a coach or administrator without ever knowing about sport and social change. I wish I had taken this class much sooner in my career because now I know more than ever before exactly what I want to do with my athletic skills and my undergraduate degree. Now I want to find a job that allows me to use my passion (in sports) and my passion for making my community a more inclusive place to live.”

Equip “Knox Kicks World Cup was the perfect

event for me to transfer my ‘book knowledge’ about event management into practical application. The best part was that not only did I have the opportunity to ‘do’ event management, I also learned about putting on an event with a social purpose.”

Empower “In this class (Women in Sport), I have learned so much.

And it made me think how our team could use basketball to help the refugee families in Knoxville. I talked with my teammates about having a sports clinic for the families and everyone was excited about meeting new people. Then some of us went to our coaches and asked them if we could give a free clinic after one of our practices. We were so excited when our coaches were on board. I would say that playing with the Iraqi ladies and kids was one of the most meaningful things our team has ever done together. I hope we can do this more often and on a more consistent basis. It’s really important for us to get outside our own little bubble.”

Entrust “Many people don’t know that I have a severe learning

disability. I struggled a lot and school made me have really low self-esteem. This is why I feel that I can relate to the refugees. School is hard for them because everything about it is different than what they are used to. And they get picked on. And the teachers don’t explain things in a way they can understand. But this class (Sport and Community Development) changed my self-image about being a good student. I could be a good student because I learn best by doing. But this class also made me a better person. Even though I graduated, I am still doing things with refugees in Texas. I can’t imagine not being involved in their lives.”

Implications We believe this model can be applied in a

variety of settings with varying organizational structures and is most effective when:– There is community buy-in/Reciprocity– There is a shared sense of ownership (athletics, UT,

the Center)– There is a connection between theory and practice

(not a one-off)– The events or ideas are initiated by the athlete (as

opposed to an outside organization) in response to a community need (bottom-up approach)

Thank you!

Website– sportandpeace.utk.edu

Facebook– www.facebook.com/TheCenterForSportPeaceSociety

Twitter– twitter.com/SportandPeaceUT

Email– [email protected]