Special thanks to our funding and program partners, the Victorian State Government, City of Melbourne, Ubuntu Project and North Melbourne Football Club < Back The Huddle and MARVEL Stadium are teaming up to support young people into employment. Previous Next

Discover how over 300 young people made the most of their autumn. < Back Making the most of the Autumn holidays Previous Next

A wrap up of some of our key accomplishments for this year. < Back The Huddle's 2023 Previous Next

< Back The Grange have a crack at GOAL! Kangaroos They put their kicking skills and goal accuracy to the test Jasper Menor Previous Next

< Back 3x3 Hustle Melbourne City Slam Previous Next

Somali Healthcare Professionals (SHP) is a networking platform founded by three passionate young Somali women < Back Local Legends: Somali Healthcare Professionals Riley Goodwin 16 Dec 2021 Somali Healthcare Professionals (SHP) is a networking platform founded by three passionate young Somali women Somali Healthcare Professionals (SHP) is a networking platform founded by three passionate young Somali women in the Australian healthcare field. With the mission of creating a networking platform that connects current and future Somali healthcare professionals, the platform also raises awareness on public health issues within the Somali community. Lead by Najmo Said, a registered nurse, Fatumo Elmi, a 4th year nursing and midwifery student and Umal Kheyr, a registered midwife; Somali Healthcare Professionals showcases the diverse areas in the healthcare profession by sharing the young women’s journeys in their particular profession. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the young women at SHP worked hard to communicate public health messages to the Somali community. In September, SHP organised and facilitated an in-language COVID-19 Q&A session to provide a culturally safe space to ask questions on COVID-19 and the vaccines available. Alongside this, the team provides regular updates on COVID-19 to their following, as well as promoting COVID vaccines from the frontlines at Western Health vaccination hubs. The network is open to join at any time. Check Somali Healthcare Professionals out on Instagram @SomaliHealthcarePro_ and Facebook. Previous Next

Akram’s journey to become a community leader < Back Providing opportunities to learn, grow and belong Maddy Ware and John King 17 Oct 2022 Akram’s journey to become a community leader Prior work experience, or specifically lack thereof, continues to be a barrier to employment for young people. This is especially the case for young people from multicultural backgrounds who must compete with cultural biases and other barriers (VMC, 2021). In this current climate, young people struggle to gain employment without previous paid employment experience and therefore often get into volunteer or internship roles to build their skill set. However, a lot of intern and volunteer roles are largely unpaid which leaves young people at risk of exploitation and therefore continue to struggle to gain paid employment experience. Many young people also lack mentors or role models who can provide guidance or inspiration to strive for improvements in education and career pathways. Mentors and role models can also provide insights and help broaden the horizons of young people still navigating their education or employment journey. The Huddle engages with young people through a variety of program options which are considered “soft entry points”. This provides an opportunity for staff to observe the growth of young people and to identify the talent, skills and qualities they possess. By encouraging those talented young people to participate in more structured courses and programs with The Huddle, young people are exposed to a variety of networks and opportunities where they can further develop their skills in safe and supported environments. Young people who succeed in programs like Game Changers, which have tangible and visible real-world outcomes, not only serve as inspiration for their peers, but also provide a template on how young people can develop valuable skills and experiences while serving as positive community role models. Akram began his journey as a participant with The Huddle in 2019, taking part in our True North Mentoring and Huddle Up! programs. I found the programs interesting. I got to meet the North Melbourne players during True North. They were really open and down to earth. They made us feel involved and kept encouraging us to participate and think outside the box. - Akram Since that time, he has also attended regular Study Squad sessions, for education support, and in 2021 registered for Game Changers, our employment program. The employment opportunities were appealing. So was the involvement of other organisations like Young Australian People and Ubuntu Project. They all provided good resources and connections which could lead to other opportunities after the program. I Highly recommend Game Changers – just make sure you attend all the sessions. If you miss out on sessions, you’ll miss out on something good! - Akram Following years of connections with multiple program coordinators and volunteers, Akram had been able to display many of the qualities and traits required to contribute his skills and expertise in several our regular programs. In 2022, Akram was offered a casual role as a Program Support Officer in our Huddle Up! program. It is really good working with The Huddle. It’s a great team and I enjoy the programs that we run (Huddle Up! Junior). I love seeing the kids progressing and having fun. I also like working with other groups in collaborative projects. - Akram Akram was also able to further develop his project management and transferable skills as a Huddle Holidays Project Officer, a role which was created for successful participants within Game Changers, whose community project ideas were deemed appropriate and feasible by a volunteer panel of experts from the YMCA, City of Melbourne and the Melbourne Youth Alliance. Akram worked in partnership with two other Game Changers participants, The Huddle’s Careers Coordinator and Education Coordinators, North Melbourne Football Club staff, and volunteers to create ‘The Race’, an amazing race for young people aged between 13 and 18 which contained a series of personal development and wellbeing themed challenges and activities. Akram and his group were responsible for the design of the project, budgeting, creating the marketing and promotion strategy (including design of all collateral), registration of participants and delivery of the activity as part of The Huddle’s Winter Huddle Holidays. It was pretty difficult, not going to lie, but I enjoyed doing multiple tasks, working in a team and learning how to manage a project. It was great to put a whole lot of skills I didn’t know I had into a project and completing something meaningful. - Akram Throughout the project, Akram took on a leadership role with his team and was able to keep his group on task and accountable. He was able to ensure tasks were allocated fairly and according to skills, abilities and availability of those within his group. He also provided regular communication and feedback to those in his working group and the staff at The Huddle who coordinate Huddle Holidays. Akram’s journey from a participant in the Huddle’s social inclusion programs, through to accessing more individualised education and career support and, finally, into employment is an example of how young people learn, grow and belong through the various initiatives provided by The Huddle. Akram is a young leader within the North Melbourne community, he provides inspiration to others and has made significant personal and professional developments by taking advantage of the opportunities available to him through The Huddle. Previous Next

A safe space for young people engaged in education to learn, grow and belong. < Back Meet Selina from Study Squad! Patrick McPhee 29 Oct 2024 A safe space for young people engaged in education to learn, grow and belong. Meet Selina from Study Squad! Selina is a year 8 student who has been coming to The Huddle since term 4, 2023. In her spare time Selina likes to play video games and walk outside. She also likes to eat, especially sweet food! Selina started coming to The Huddle to attend our Study Squad program, and has been one of the most regular attendees coming over 50 times in 2024! Selina likes that coming to Study Squad has given her more time to focus on learning, she has also spent some time working with our volunteer tutors who she has found helpful and likes that there are snacks! As well as coming to Study Squad, Selina has also engaged in our Huddle Holidays activities. Study Squad will remain open until the end of November 2024. Study Squad is a safe space for young people engaged in education to learn, grow and belong while receiving academic support. The program offers subject-specific volunteer tutors, computers, and internet access, as well as a study space, at no cost to participants. If you are interested in attending, please join us in: North Melbourne: Every Monday and Tuesday from 3.30pm-6.30pm at The Huddle North Melbourne, 204-206 Arden St, North Melbourne 3051 Docklands: On Wednesdays from 3.30pm – 5.00pm at The Hub @ Docklands, 80 Harbour Esplanade, Docklands VIC 3008 Werribee: On Wednesdays from 3.30pm-5.30pm at The Huddle Werribee, Level 1, 150-226 Watton St, Werribee (Chirnside Park) Previous Next

< Back Beyond The Court Sport has a unique ability to bring people together across cultures, generations, and life experiences. Emily Maiorana Previous Next

Reliving moments that mattered and celebrating achievements from the club to the community. < Back The Huddle's 2025 End of Year Wrap Up Previous Next

Opportunities to develop and showcase transferable skills through workshops, coaching, and supported employment experiences. Opportunities to develop and showcase transferable skills through workshops, coaching, and supported employment experiences. DSC05718.jpg DSC05741.jpg DSC05690.jpg DSC05718.jpg 1/4 Game Changers provides participants an opportunity to learn and develop employability, transferable and project management experience through workshops, one-on-one Career Coaching and supported Employment Experiences. Consisting of pre- and post-employment support for job seekers, as well as mentoring and networking opportunities, Game Changers identifies and nurtures talent through paid Employment Experiences, both within The Huddle and through partnerships with our business and community networks. Young people are supported through their career journey via case-management which takes the form of one-on-one consultations with either the Careers Coordinator or a Career Coach, based on the participants preferred method of contact, including face-to-face appointments, video, or phone call. Participants are also brought together through various education workshops and forums, including with industry professionals to grow their skills, knowledge and networks. Game Changers is delivered through collaborative partnerships with youth led cultural groups located within our communities, to ensure Game Changers is meeting the needs of local young people, while also allowing The Huddle to play a role in building the skills, knowledge and networks of these groups contributing to collective impact. FIND OUT MORE I wanted to say thanks for letting me join the Game Changers program. I found it really beneficial since not only did it allow me to meet new people, but also helped me form networks where I could ask for volunteering opportunities and potentially work. Through the workshops I was able to learn more about the transferable skills that I could use when applying for jobs - whether it’d be answering questions at a job interview or pitching a new business/community project idea. I’d highly recommend this program to anyone who’s looking to develop career goals or need guidance at securing a job. Rea Tinoy, program participant Previous Next

Jabrill is a young person from North Melbourne, who first engaged with The Huddle at age 13. < Back Giving Back to My Community Emily Maiorana 13 June 2024 Jabrill is a young person from North Melbourne, who first engaged with The Huddle at age 13. Over the years, he has taken part in a number of programs at The Huddle including, Study Squad, Huddle Up!, Huddle Holidays and our careers programs Game Changers, all of which have had significant influence on him. Jabrill continuously expresses that The Huddle gave him a sense of belonging as a young child and now as a young adult a variety of opportunities and launchpad to excel in his future. Among the multitude of memories, learnings, and experiences for Jabrill, one that stands out is when AFL superstar Ben Brown volunteered at Study Squad and assisted Jabrill with his Math’s revision for an upcoming test. “I didn’t know he was a football player, but I think that’s what made it special”, said Jabrill. The space gave Jabrill the chance to dedicate appropriate time to his studies and earn results he was proud of. Maintaining consistent engagement with The Huddle, led to his participation in our careers program Game Changers in 2023. Game Changers, delivered in partnership with the Victorian State Government, Paving the Way Forward and Ubuntu Project, provides young people with the opportunity to authentically develop their transferable skills, gain industry connections and participate in a guided ‘Employment Experience’. Game Changers provides young people the opportunity to develop a project and pitch it to a panel of industry leaders at our Pitch Event. It was at this event where Jabrill met a leader within the North Melbourne Community, Kahlid, from The Center who delivers a range of programs for families living in North Melbourne. Jabrill has always been deeply connected to his community and has felt empowered to lead and give back and the connection with Kahlid would prove to be beneficial later in Jabrill’s employment journey. Jabrill continued to access The Huddle’s Game Changers 1-on-1 support program where he received tailored assistance focused on developing and understanding his transferable skills, personal brand, professionalism and industry networks. Jabrill was also offered a ‘Paid Employment Experience’ position with The Huddle because of his commitment and enthusiasm at our Pitch Event. During this time, he worked as a casual with a group of young people on exploring ways to increase engagement between The Huddle and our community. Towards the end of Jabrill’s ‘Employment Experience’, The Centre began expanding its community outreach programs and informed The Huddle about a new Community Development Officer role. Kahlid, who would supervise the position, was passionate about offering it to someone deeply embedded in the North Melbourne community. Jabrill was an obvious candidate for the role and didn’t hesitate to apply. “I knew The Huddle would help me put my best foot forward,” said Jabrill. Jabrill committed to developing a strong application, practised his interview skills with our Careers Coordinator in the lead up and was deservingly offered the position. “The Game Changers program truly prepared me for what work would be like”. Currently in addition to his role with The Centre, Jabrill continues to work as a casual with The Huddle at programs including Study Squad and Huddle Up!. Jabrill feels grateful to be on the other side of programs that once helped him thrive, and now enjoys working to provide similar opportunities in his own community to learn, grow and belong. Previous Next