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Dream Big Desi Women - ensuring diversity in cricket

Diverse communities volunteer manager for the England and Wales Cricket Board explains how the Dream Big campaign - now in its fourth year and with over 2,000 volunteers - has been a catalyst for change in her life and the life of many other British South Asian women in the UK.

5th December 2022

by Sabah Hamed
Diverse communities volunteer manager, ECB

In November 2018, Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a new partnership to inspire 2,000 British South Asian women to ‘Dream Big’ through cricket.

This joint investment from the National Lottery Community Fund and the ECB created opportunities for South Asian communities to volunteer and engage with cricket at every level - from community coaches to being employed by the ECB.

Dream Big Desi Women was formed to create a community which was inspirational and aspirational to Desi Women (those with south Asian heritage), with a focus on positive values and enjoyment.

We wanted every Desi woman to feel comfortable and safe in our programmes. By listening and adapting our approach, we were able to build an ever-growing and trusted community for them.

A group of female volunteers laugh as they interact with children on an outdoors playground

Fast-forward four years and the Dream Big Desi Women programme has grown to more than 2,000 women volunteering their time, passion and skills as activators.

Under their guidance, thousands of children have had fun, taking part in cricket sessions in non-traditional environments such as community centres, Temples, Mosques and Gurdwaras. And the new activators have created an amazing force of positivity, innovation and learning.

They have shared improved wellbeing, new friendships, skills development and a sense of pride and belonging, as well as a new - or renewed - passion for cricket!

My own story

Cricket had always been a huge part of my life, but up until volunteering with the Dream Big programme I didn’t think there was a place for me in the game.

At 16 I was diagnosed with a long-term degenerative condition which crushed my dreams of being in the RAF and when I began my journey into health and fitness, I quickly learned that this was greatly misaligned to cultural and religious norms in my community.
 

Dream Big was formed to create a community which was inspirational and aspirational to Desi Women, with a focus on positive values and enjoyment.

Wanting to change that perception, I stood against these barriers and focussed on helping fight health inequalities for the other women around me. 

This is when I came across the Dream Big programme, so I started as a volunteer supporting other women lead cricket sessions for the local community. Now in my role, I have been fortunate to be a part of leading the change within the national organisation and bringing even more women into Dream Big.

Challenges and key learnings

Dream Big Desi Women has been a hugely successful initiative, but it is even more powerful considering the two years of disruption and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is also set against a wider landscape of falling volunteer numbers within sport and physical activity, with over 3 million fewer volunteers giving their time in November 2020-21 than during the previous 12 months.

Recent data shows that volunteers remain under-pressure and at risk of burnout, so what has made Dream Big so inspiring for women to get involved?

A defining moment for me in the programme was the design and creation of hijabs and modest apparel for volunteers.

Having designed a modest fitness wear line previously, I knew the value this brings.

This addition helped to not only broaden the reach of the programme, but also to increase its inclusivity and create a new sense of belonging for volunteers within the game.

Insight shows the experience of volunteering is key, so it’s important to create a volunteering journey that is accessible.

By adapting the training and its environment, and by providing opportunities for development, volunteers can be motivated to come back and spread the news about the programme.

This then allows this volunteer opportunity to become community-led and an engine for positive social change.

The three key lessons from the programme for me have been:

  1. Understanding the true value behind listening and implementing change. Taking the time to understand the barriers, challenges and initiatives that volunteers want to see will help you reach more people.
     
  2. Adapt, adapt and adapt! Never stop innovating, and don’t be afraid to try something new. For instance: modest apparel, virtual coffee mornings and training events and festivals celebrating the diversity of your volunteer base.
     
  3. Celebrate your volunteers – reward and recognition has been the key tenet behind the success of keeping our volunteers engaged in the game. 

Dream Big is a great example of the work Sport England is doing in its partnership with Vision for Volunteering - a movement of volunteer-involving organisations and volunteers, working together to create and support amazing volunteer experiences.

So all I can say is here's to many more years or working together and making each other - and those around us - better.  
 

Find out more

Dream Big Desi Women

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