WAGGA athlete Jada Whyman hopes the Black Lives Matter movement gives people impetus to educate themselves on the issues that confront the Indigenous community in Australia.
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The 20-year-old soccer goalkeeper, who has spent the past five seasons with W-League side Western Sydney Wanderers, is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander outreach worker with youth mental health organisation Headspace.
The proud Wiradjuri and Yorta Yorta woman said the initiative is a big opportunity to raise awareness, with NRL and AFL players kneeling in solidarity at games played last weekend.
"I have come across a few kids (through my job) who still deal with racism and sexism," she said.
"These kids are quite young that I'm dealing with it and the kids inflicting it think it's normal, which is a real shame.
"The kids that stand up and educate them will help. And it's not doing it in an aggressive way, it's about educating somebody.
"I'm sure those kids will be able to make a change once they get older with this.
"The most important thing about this is that people educate themselves on all the history. The people who do stand up and say something is because they have a reason to, it's the way they feel because they've had these experiences.
"It's unfortunate that this is still how it is in the world. Hopefully the work everyone's doing makes a change in the world. I think that's all everyone is trying to do, is make this place a better place.
"It's a very rewarding job, I enjoy meeting a lot of different people and help wherever I can."
A part of the Future Matildas program, Whyman is one of 13 athletes who in January applied to be part of the Australian Institute of Sport's 'Share A Yarn' program.
The program was set to feature in-person visits to remote Indigenous communities. But it is still proceeding through an online video platform, where the athletes engage with youth at Arlparra, a Northern Territory community.
"'Share a Yarn" is about getting all athletes, from any code, and sending them out into the community around Australia, rural or remote, and getting them to have a feel of what Australia is like and what different communities are like," Whyman said in a video produced by the AIS.
"We (the Indigenous community) are just a massive family to be honest. Everyone is connected to one another.
"We ask them questions about sports they're interested in, their culture, and what they do around their community. And they send back a video showing their skills, or what they do in the community."
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For now Whyman is focused on getting back to her best on the pitch after undergoing surgery on a slight patella tendon tear in her left knee in November.
The issue had affected her progress mentally and physically for three years, and is hopeful going under the knife will allow her to shed doubts about her fitness and showcase her talent.
"Having surgery I've been hoping for a different result than I've had in the past," she said.
"I've been progressing well, getting back on the pitch and doing a bit of diving. I was starting to forget that I'm a goalkeeper.
"I was restricted for so long. Every time I went out to play I wasn't really thinking about how I could develop in and what I can work on, it was 'is my knee going to give way in this session or this game?'
"It was Russian roulette to be honest, it was a terrible feeling which built up a lot of anxiety off the field.
"It was stopping me from who I wanted to be fully, and hopefully this surgery changes a lot.
"I'm enjoying getting back on the field already and just kicking a ball. It doesn't matter if I'm not playing at the highest level, I just want to enjoy it and really want to get back playing again."
