North for the Summer: ARA’s first international exchange
On the back of an amazing UK Gymnasts for Change tour (see ARA Activities), ARA co-founder Ali Quigley was invited to deliver a presentation on the trials and tribulations of founding Australia’s first sports human rights group, ARA. The presentation noted how we’ve had plenty of hurdles to navigate, including three major restructures and the omnipresent challenge of securing funds. Thanks to the support of family and friends, ARA is still on task today, helping families and child athletes find their paths to justice.
The day began early in London, heading south-east through exquisite rural countryside to finish at the sprawling campus of Canterbury Christchurch University. Huge thanks to Laura Gubby for finessing the transport logistics.
Hitting the ground running, the Canterbury team provided a tour of the sports research facilities, where ARA ogled the state-of-art equipment used to further researchers’ understanding of sports science fields.
Next up Ali delivered a presentation on ARA’s origins, setbacks, achievements and future projects. After a short break, Ali delivered a presentation on her thesis findings to date, along with securing an understanding of what the audience members were undertaking in this space. It’s heartening to hear about the impressive variety of projects being funded in the sports and human rights space.
For lunch we tucked into an array of sweet and savoury morsels, supped on our cuppas, and took in the exquisite backdrop of Canterbury Cathedral. A shout out to the catering team for such delicious fare.
Post-lunch, Safe Sport International’s Anne Tiivas and Neal Anderson chaired an information exchange, where ARA connected further with students from the Sport, Human Rights and Safeguarding Research Group (SHRG). The Group is directed by the effervescent Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, who clearly wears many organisational hats and made this day one that ARA will cherish.
The day closed off with a presentation from SSI, much anticipated after missing an opportunity last year to catch up. To Anne and Neal, thank you for your long journeys from the north and west, for your time, dedication and steadfast work in such a challenging space.