Autumn Adventures that Build Belonging

As everyone settles back in at school, The Huddle invites you to look back at what was a massive school holiday period at Huddle Holidays! Huddle Holidays is a school holiday program offered at the end of each school term for primary and secondary school students aged 8-18. The program provides children and young people with opportunities to try new experiences, developing their skills and capacity across social inclusion, health and emotional wellbeing, leadership, education, and careers.

These holidays our Juniors (8- to 12-years-old) participated in a Footy and Teamwork Super Clinic, a trip to Bounce Inc., and a Wildlife Day at The Huddle North Melbourne. As always, our Junior programs provided many opportunities for young people to build connections within the community, with the staff, with local clubs and, of course, with each other. One participant shared that their favourite part of the program was that they “… enjoyed spending time with new people (and) got to make new friends”. Such a great way to explain what the Junior activities provide!

The first activity for the Juniors these holidays was the Footy and Teamwork Super Clinic at Galvin Park Reserve. This program was facilitated with support from the North Melbourne Football Club and Werribee Football Club. The Clinic provided young people of all skill levels the opportunity to develop their abilities in the game of Aussie Rules while also exploring what it takes to be a good teammate! One participant expressed that their favourite part of this activity was that “everyone was friendly and willing to help” and a parent shared that “it was a perfect introduction to footy for my son”. These reflections demonstrated how The Huddle leverages the power of sport to help young people in the community develop a sense of belonging.

Our next Junior activity was a trip out to Bounce Inc in Essendon Fields. This activity was fully booked within days of opening, showing the importance of registering early for activities when they launch with The Huddle. At Bounce, the participants were led through an hour of facilitated programming delivered by Bounce staff before spending an additional hour jumping, hopping and running around the many available areas and obstacles. One young person shared that they enjoyed “the kind people and the kids are ranged between the same age”. The Huddle aims to ensure young people have opportunities to mingle and try something new with others of similar ages, growing their networks with local peers. As this participant identified these holiday activities are a safe and welcoming environment for new connections to develop!

The final Junior activity for Autumn was the Wildlife Day held at The Huddle North Melbourne. Participants were invited into our classroom on Arden Street, where they were greeted by our partners at Reptile Encounters with their animal friends. The facilitators were very engaging and taught the young people about each animal while also providing opportunities for participants to interact with them! Our Juniors and their parents shared that they loved getting to try something new and that they had the “best time ever!” This was a great way to finish the holidays for our youngest attendees, with everyone excited for what is yet to come in Winter!

Our Seniors (13- to 18-years-old) these holidays challenged each other at the return of The Huddle Volleyball Tournament, developed life skills by participating in a CPR course and just for the girls enjoyed an afternoon Sisters Pool Party! Our Seniors showed up in big numbers these holidays and we believe the environment The Huddle provides creates this space that is easy to come back to. One young person shared “I liked how welcoming and friendly everyone was. The activities were fun, engaging, and gave me the chance to work with new people, learn new skills, and build confidence. It felt like a safe and positive space to be myself and connect with others.” We are so proud to hear such positive reflections!

The return of The Huddle Volleyball tournament was highly anticipated these holidays. Over 100 young people headed into Eagle Stadium in Werribee to participate in the full day tournament. The competition highlighted both the amazing athletic prowess of our talented young people (many of whom have honed their craft weekly on Friday afternoons at Huddle Up! – click here to learn more), but also the beautiful community environment that has been created and fostered at all tournaments hosted by The Huddle. Young people demonstrated amazing sportspersonship and as a result established new relationships with people on opposing teams. One young person shared they enjoyed “building new relationships and enhancing trust with my teammates”. This tournament will definitely be back!

Next up for the Seniors was a free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course delivered by Hero HQ at The Huddle Werribee. This company specialises in supporting young people to develop important lifesaving skills. The participants learnt all the key information necessary to try and preserve someone’s life. The Huddle sees the value in providing these opportunities to support young people becoming positive contributors to their community, while also supporting them with learning new skills that they can add to their resumes. Participants identified that their favourite part of this program was it was free, and that staff were friendly and supportive of their learning. Huddle Holidays looks to offer courses like this one regularly and will offer a full First Aid Level 2 course in the September Holidays.

Our final activity for the seniors was the Sisters Only Pool Party at Melbourne City Baths. This activity was set aside for females only, aimed at providing an opportunity for our senior participants to develop their knowledge of water safety and their water confidence. The facilitators took the participants through an extensive session about water safety and important information to consider, before jumping in the water to play games and have some free time. Our participants identified what they enjoyed about the program was that there was “friendly staff (and they got to) try something new.” The next step back into the water for the Huddle Holidays participants will be our return to Anglesea in January 2026.

Thanks to our participants, their families, activity providers and partners – Victorian Department of Education and Community Bank Seddon. We couldn’t have this much fun without you!

Huddle Holidays will return in July 2025 with an all-new, exciting range of activities across both junior and senior age groups. If you would like and further information or to join our email list to be notified when we launch registrations, please email huddle@nmfc.com.au.