1. From Apathy to Advocacy:
Student-athletes & Social Change
Dr. Sarah Hillyer
Director of the UT Center for Sport, Peace, & Society
Dr. Ashleigh Huffman
Asst. Director of the UT Center for Sport, Peace, & Society
Mr. Hal Wilson
Ph.D. student, Socio-Cultural Studies

2. The University of Tennessee
 State’s flagship institution
 Land-grant, research university
 28,000 students
– 50 states
– 100 foreign countries
 Ranked in top 50 – striving for Top 25
 Ready for the World, VOL Vision

3. The University of Tennessee Athletics
 500+ student-athletes
 23 National Titles in 25 years
 150 SEC titles
 Community Service
– East TN Children’s Hospital
– Boys & Girls Club
– Habitat for Humanity
– April Play Day

4. UT Center for
Sport, Peace, & Society

5. UT Center for
Sport, Peace, & Society

6. Activities of the Center
 Coursework
 Research/Curriculum Development
 Sports clinics (local and abroad)
 U.S. Dept. of State “Empowering Women
and Girls through Sports” Exchange
Program

7. Women in Sport:
An International Perspective
 Explores the ways sport intersects
– Religion
– Politics
– Education
– Culture
– Gender
 U.S., China, South Africa, Israel, & Iran

8. Service-Learning:
Sport & Community Development
 4.7 million Iraqis displaced
 250 families living in
Knoxville
 4 self-identified needs:
health, community,
education, and friendship
 Weekly exercise classes for
the women; after-school
sports program for the kids

9. Connecting the dots:
From theory to practice
 Since 2008, 50 student-athletes have been
exposed to ideas of SDP via coursework
 165+ student-athletes have been engaged in
more than 120 hours of service
 7 sports clinics with refugees or
international populations: Basketball,
Softball, Soccer (3), Volleyball (2)

11. Expose
 “If it weren’t for this class, I would have graduated with a
degree in Sports Management and pursued a career as a
coach or administrator without ever knowing about
sport and social change. I wish I had taken this class
much sooner in my career because now I know more
than ever before exactly what I want to do with my
athletic skills and my undergraduate degree. Now I want
to find a job that allows me to use my passion (in sports)
and my passion for making my community a more
inclusive place to live.”

12. Equip
 “Knox Kicks World Cup was the perfect event
for me to transfer my ‘book knowledge’ about
event management into practical application.
The best part was that not only did I have the
opportunity to ‘do’ event management, I also
learned about putting on an event with a social
purpose.”

13. Empower
 “In this class (Women in Sport), I have learned so much. And
it made me think how our team could use basketball to help
the refugee families in Knoxville. I talked with my teammates
about having a sports clinic for the families and everyone was
excited about meeting new people. Then some of us went to
our coaches and asked them if we could give a free clinic after
one of our practices. We were so excited when our coaches
were on board. I would say that playing with the Iraqi ladies
and kids was one of the most meaningful things our team has
ever done together. I hope we can do this more often and on a
more consistent basis. It’s really important for us to get
outside our own little bubble.”

14. Entrust
 “Many people don’t know that I have a severe learning
disability. I struggled a lot and school made me have really low
self-esteem. This is why I feel that I can relate to the refugees.
School is hard for them because everything about it is
different than what they are used to. And they get picked on.
And the teachers don’t explain things in a way they can
understand. But this class (Sport and Community
Development) changed my self-image about being a good
student. I could be a good student because I learn best by
doing. But this class also made me a better person. Even
though I graduated, I am still doing things with refugees in
Texas. I can’t imagine not being involved in their lives.”

15. Implications
 We believe this model can be applied in a variety of
settings with varying organizational structures and
is most effective when:
– There is community buy-in/Reciprocity
– There is a shared sense of ownership (athletics, UT, the
Center)
– There is a connection between theory and practice (not a
one-off)
– The events or ideas are initiated by the athlete (as opposed
to an outside organization) in response to a community
need (bottom-up approach)

16. Thank you!
 Website
– sportandpeace.utk.edu
 Facebook
– www.facebook.com/TheCenterForSportPeaceSociety
 Twitter
– twitter.com/SportandPeaceUT
 Email
– csps@utk.edu