What may look like an ordinary after-school game of volleyball in a Surrey gymnasium is actually part of a program that is allowing teenage girls from Afghanistan to learn and enjoy athletics for the first time in their lives.

鈥淚 was held back, told that sports were not for girls like me, but now I know that I can play,鈥� said Maryam Sadat, one of the girls on the team.

鈥淔or so long, I was afraid to try,鈥� she adds. 鈥淏ut now I feel free.鈥�

The volleyball program, which runs at Surrey鈥檚 Frank Hurt Secondary every Tuesday after school, has been proving to be successful, bringing in about 25 students each week.

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Maryam grew up in Afghanistan but said her life was 鈥渢urned upside down by war and violence,鈥� leading her and her family to settle in Surrey.

While she was initially nervous, Maryam and other girls in the program began to enjoy learning the sport, with the help of coaches from Volleyball BC.

The teens learn how to hit and spike the ball, congratulate each other when a point is scored and encourage one another to keep trying following misses, while Middle Eastern music sets a lively mood within the four walls.

鈥淏eing part of this program has taught me so much about teamwork, communication, and leadership. I鈥檝e learned that no matter where you come from or what your background is, you can achieve great things if you work hard and believe in yourself,鈥� Maryam said.

鈥淧laying volleyball has given me a sense of empowerment and confidence and has allowed me to connect with other girls who share my passion for sports. I鈥檓 proud to be a part of this program and to represent Afghan girls on the volleyball court.鈥�

The idea for the extra-curricular program came from discussions at the Surrey school district鈥檚 Welcome Centre as a way to help newcomers from Afghanistan garner a sense of belonging in schools.

鈥淔rom the first day I joined (in January), we were talking about programs for Afghan girls because of the restrictions in the community they were living in,鈥� said Hasina Quamiy, a settlement worker with the district who came to Canada from Afghanistan a year ago.

鈥淏ased on the religion and culture, they don鈥檛 want to (play) with the boys, so we did it only specifically for girls so they can feel safe, they can feel comfortable and confident playing.鈥�

To make sure the boys were not entirely left out, the Welcome Centre also organized a cricket program for them. These initiatives are about more than just playing a sport, though.

鈥淲e really just want to build some sort of safe space for them and (then) we can build on this opportunity that we have once a week with them to see what are their interests, what are their hopes and dreams in Canada,鈥� said Parampal Sharma, Welcome Centre manager.

鈥淲e want to reduce some of the barriers that they often face in terms participation in different activities. A lot of them are coming from limited opportunities for formal education, they may have communication or other social gaps, some of them have faced trauma.鈥�

One of the coaches for the team, Fara Sadeghi from Volleyball BC, said that most of the girls had never even touched a volleyball before this year.

鈥淚 know when anybody comes to another country, that being a newcomer is so hard鈥� I have experienced this for myself 鈥� the hardest thing is the language,鈥� said Sadeghi, who came to Canada four years ago from Iran, where she also coached volleyball.

鈥淣ot knowing any English can make it so hard to engage with people sometimes. If families don鈥檛 know English, they don鈥檛 know how to go online and register their kids in any kind of sports.鈥�

Even though the girls all go to the same school, many of them in the same grade, most did not know one another before the volleyball program began, Quamiy added.

This Tuesday (June 20) is the last game for the school year, but everyone is hoping it will return next year and expressed sadness at the end of its run.

鈥淎ll of (the girls) asked, 鈥業s it possible to continue this program?鈥� They were very sad because the next one is the last one,鈥� Sadeghi shared.

Quamiy said she hopes the program will continue next year and maybe even expand to be able to offer more than just volleyball. So far, there are a few girls from India and the Philippines on the team, but including other newcomers as well is also a goal going forward.

Maryam said that her memories playing sports in school for the first time will be 鈥渃herished forever鈥� because she is no longer being denied the opportunity to benefit from extra-curricular athletics.

- with files from Tricia Weel

sobia.moman@peacearchnews.com
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