Yesterday we posted about the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia taking place tomorrow, Saturday 17th May 2014.

As part of their Media Discourses and Sport Journalism module, final year students on the Sport, Culture and Society course have been working with The Sheena Amos Youth Trust (SAYiT) to put their journalism skills into practice.

Dr. Beth Fielding-Lloyd, Principal Lecturer in Sport, Culture and Society here at Hallam has written all about it.

SAYiT is a charity based in Sheffield which provides support and opportunities for young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The link up was facilitated by SHU’s Venture Matrix scheme and saw students lead workshops with the young people to investigate issues around homophobia in sport. The students are now using their findings from these sessions to support their presentation of an assessed journalism portfolio.

The topic is a particularly timely one for Sport, Culture and Society students given that several high profile athletes, such as Tom Daley, have recently ‘come out’ and because of debates around the ethics of participating in the Sochi Winter Olympics when the host country, Russia, has passed punitive legislation against ‘homosexuality propaganda’.

‘Part of the ethos of their course is linking wider social issues in sport to ordinary people’s everyday experiences’ states Module Leader Beth Fielding-Lloyd. ‘The challenge for students here was to produce sport journalism that investigates issues that are current and newsworthy whilst also discovering how they impact on young people within their community.’

To prepare for their workshops, SAYiT provided students with training to raise their awareness of the issues that young LGBT people may face in sport and in society which was invaluable and a great addition to their CVs. ‘

‘I found the opportunity to work outside the normal university environment incredibly valuable and it was fantastic that we were given the opportunity to work with such a forward thinking and progressive organisation’ said Sport, Culture and Society student Kieran Wall. ‘The experience showed how some of the theoretical work we have done impacts on wider society, as well as giving us a chance to test our skills in a pressurised situation.’

The opportunity allowed the students to work within the local community, and give a valuable context to the theory that they had learnt in the classroom and contributes to their social responsibility.

For more information about The Sheena Amos Youth Trust visit http://www.sayouthtrust.org.uk/

For more information about Venture Matrix visit http://www.shu.ac.uk/venturematrix

If you would like to speak to someone about any issue, personal or academic, you can contact the Student Advice and Information team or the Student Wellbeing team here at Hallam.