Sport on the gender agenda

Aligned’s Cardinia leisure manager Paige Kristalyn, left, and Together We Can collective impact facilitator Fiona Cost are thrilled to launch the He Can So We Can Too campaign. Picture: GARY SISSONS

A new campaign championed by Aligned Leisure under the Together We Can banner is shining a light on gender equity in sport.

The idea for the ‘He Can so We Can Too’ campaign came out of a Together We Can leadership summit as a community solution to helping to tackle family violence.

It has been developed by Aligned’s Cardinia leisure manager Paige Kristalyn and head of customer experience Chris Banbury and will be rolled out in the local press and on social media channels over the coming months.

Ms Kristalyn said its aim was to increase awareness around equity in sport and promote that sport is for everyone.

She said gender equity had been identified as a key driver in cases of family violence, which has been identified as the most critical social issue facing Cardinia Shire.

Aligned Leisure, which became a White Ribbon accredited business earlier this year, recruited locals connected to sport and leisure, whether through passion or participation, to feature in the campaign and received a great response.

The campaign has been welcomed by Together We Can’s collective impact facilitator Fiona Cost.

Ms Cost said the ‘He Can so We Can Too’ campaign was making real the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility Policy that commits to “deliver a sporting experience that is safe, fair and inclusive for all, whether you are a player, administrator, supporter, volunteer or any other person who engages with the code”.

“So many of us are working hard to stop family violence before it starts, and this campaign by Aligned Leisure is part of the solution,” she said.

“This campaign is not just for AFL. It calls to action all club committees, officials, sponsors and players, from many sporting codes, to think about the value of diversity and inclusion in all areas of sport.

“It is widely known that clubs with an embedded culture of respect and equality attract more members, sponsors, players and volunteers. And that a club’s success is demonstrated not only by its wins, but by the health and wellbeing of its community.”

Ms Cost said ‘He Can so We Can Too’ was another example of how the Cardinia Shire community, through Together We Can, “creates its own solutions to build a more respectful and equitable society, saying no to all forms of violence before it starts”.

The campaign is inviting people to share their own sporting glory with the hashtag #HeCanSoWeCanToo