People Power | Craig Foster | TEDxMacquarieUniversity

In early 2019 Craig Foster (former Australian football captain) led an international campaign to free a young Bahraini footballer and refugee, Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai prison. In his talk he acknowledges the power of everyday people and sport’s increasing responsibility to play a larger role in protecting all those touched by it, whether fans, players, or the myriad of other stakeholders involved particularly in the staging of major events. The growing field of sport and human rights is a vitally important one for a world where we’re seeing the human rights of people everywhere under threat, whether asylum seekers, women’s rights, children’s safety and the rights of the child, the fundamental principles of democracy and freedom of speech. Craig Foster, a former Socceroo captain who played 29 times for Australia, is one of the most respected broadcasters (at SBS), commentators and contributors in the history of the game in the country. He works in the sphere of social justice through programs with refugee and indigenous children, using football to provide life opportunities. Craig is a refugee and human rights ambassador with Amnesty, sits on the Australia Committee for Human Rights Watch, Advisory Board of the Australian Institute of Human Rights, UNSW and the Australian Multicultural Council, Federal Government. He recently spearheaded a campaign to free a young player from Bangkok Remand Prison, Hakeem al-Araibi, creating a global movement and leading a coalition of organisations across sporting and human rights. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx