Nazish is employed by Merri Health Services and works directly with newly arrived or refugee women and girls in the Moreland City Council area, educating, encouraging and supporting them to participate in sport. Nazish spends time to build relationships with the women and girls, understanding their barriers, their needs, and their desires.
Nazish works in partnership with Moreland City Council to engage local sporting clubs to review their inclusiveness to ensure the women and girls feel welcome at their club. Successful sustainable programs include U15 girls Aussie rules football, Sunday tennis program, ladies only lawn bowls, the formation of a new badminton club with over 250 women and girls engaged. The sports clubs have accommodated the women by providing childminding services and moved training times to accommodate Ramadan. Added to this, Nazish and Council have built partnerships between the Islamic schools and state sporting associations providing opportunities for coaches to deliver sports sessions to girls with the idea they will then join their local club to continue playing.
Nazish has also built great relationships with Moreland’s Oxygen Youth Centre, Young Muslims Australia, Good Life Girls Club, Arabic Welfare, Centre for Multicultural Youth, Fawkner and Glenroy Libraries, YMCA Fawkner and Coburg, Victoria Police, Islamic Community Leaders, Fawkner Community House in an effort to engage, educate and encourage women to try out a few sports to find what they enjoy.