AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND

Sport for Social Change

(Contributed photos)

Twenty-two East Carolina University students took part in the Sport for Social Change abroad trip to Sydney and the Gold Coast in Australia and Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch, and Tekapo, New Zealand.

The trip was hosted by kinesiology associate professor Dr. Stacy Warner and provided the students with an opportunity to explore sport as a global phenomenon.

Students visited and met with Australian and New Zealander sport organizations including professional teams, amateur sport organizations, international sport federations and corporate sport entities in an effort to better understand organizational and institutional structure, cultural patterns, and the dynamics of Australian and New Zealander society.

Highlights of the trip included learning about surf culture and how adapted surfing is used to foster positive social change.

“Studying abroad was one of the best experiences of my life up to date. I originally joined the trip just to be able to say that I had the experience of studying abroad, however I was not actually expecting it to change the way I view sport and life in its entirety,” said Reid Wheeler, a senior sports studies major.

ECU students observed and learned about the organization of sport within Australia and New Zealand; the social organization from amateur to professional sport; sport operations in the global economy; and the cultural and social implications of sports.

“This experience and education I gained from this trip were not even things I fathomed prior to leaving,” said CeCe Dillard, senior sport studies major.  “I honestly underestimated the power of traveling and how being around another culture can ultimately change you as a person. I knew I would gain a lot from it, but it is truly something I will never take for granted.”