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< Back Kevin’s Huddle Journey: New Skills, New Friends, New Perspectives From online beginnings to hands-on learning, Kevin’s made the most of every moment. Patrick McPhee Previous Next

The future of North Melbourne descended on Arden St for the 2022 Future Roos clinic. < Back Sights and sounds of the Future Roos clinic Previous Next

A fun and memorable way to engage the whole class in mathematical learning < Back A reflection on NBA Math Hoops Thomas O’Halloran – 5/6 Teacher at Moreland Primary School 5 Sept 2022 A fun and memorable way to engage the whole class in mathematical learning As a teacher, I have no doubt that effective teaching has the most significant impact on student learning outside influences in the home. However, effective teaching takes time and investment. The 2021 Grattan survey reports that 92% of teachers frequently feel that they do not have enough time to prepare for effective teaching. I am one of those teachers, spending endless unpaid hours planning each week to ensure I am delivering effective and engaging lessons. I am always on the hunt for fun and memorable learning resources, especially the lessons that capture the minds and hearts of the students. They must be easy to implement and enable me to work smarter - not harder. So, when I saw the Huddle promoting NBA Math Hoops, a board game that promised to leverage sport in the classroom to maximise student engagement, I was open to giving it a go. As a sports and maths fan, I immediately recognised the power of a board game that leverages basketball to engage students in mathematics. After completing the teacher training (thankfully, a painless, super-informative online 90-minute workshop), I was impressed by the game's potential to shift the mindset of students who consider themselves to be 'bad at maths'. While initially excited, it wasn't until I received the FREE class set that I was blown away by the high quality of the board game. The game was fun, colourful, and the player cards were attention-grabbing. I also recently found out that Hasbro, the creators of Monopoly, are also the creators of NBA Math Hoops. The NBA Math Hoops game formula is simple in its utilisation of “the four C’s”. Students must collaborate, communicate, think critically and creatively to win. The in-school NBA Math Hoops draft was pure chaotic bliss. Students were scrambling to review player cards, deciphering statistics, using multiplicative thinking, debating player selection with peers, and justifying their decisions. It is always wonderful to watch students practising the skills that will equip them to navigate and thrive in our ever-changing world. I love how the game establishes intrinsic motivation in students to build upon and use their mathematical knowledge. The associated lesson plans effectively scaffold students to practice the relevant mathematical skill while gradually layering the game rules. This means that I didn’t have to be the game expert, and what's more, I liked that I could adapt the rules to support or challenge every student in my class. To sum up my experience, NBA Math Hoops was a series of wonderful surprises. While compiling the semester reports, I was astonished by how many students referenced NBA Math Hoops in their reflective comments, many describing the game as a fun way to learn maths - even students who declare themselves as ‘bad at maths’. Like sneaking vegetables into a pasta sauce, NBA Math Hoops is stealth learning! I would highly recommend the board game and accompanying resources to any educator looking for a way to engage their whole class in mathematical learning, whilst offering a fun and memorable experience that will be a highlight of the school year. To find out more about NBA Math Hoops, please click here Previous Next

Check out the highlights from this year's winter Huddle Holidays program. < Back Winter Huddle Holidays wrap up Previous Next

< Back True North ‘Grit’ with Al-Taqwa College The Huddle's employees share their stories with Truganina students Joshua Raymer Previous Next

< Back Changing the game for young people How The Huddle and its participants foster collaborative partnerships Maddy Ware and John King Previous Next

Over 200 young people joined us these school holidays for new sports, real-life skills, and unforgettable fun across Melbourne. < Back Winter School Holiday Activities for Young People Patrick McPhee 31 July 2025 Over 200 young people joined us these school holidays for new sports, real-life skills, and unforgettable fun across Melbourne. Huddle Holidays Winter 2025 has come to an end and what an awesome way to beat the cold it was! 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. This time around the juniors (8- to 12-years-old) participated in a Welcome to Tennis clinic, an exciting day of activities planned by The Huddle and a trip to Ice HQ for our annual Ice-Skating activity! These holidays the Junior program focused on providing the opportunity to try something new, build social connections and demonstrate resilience! One junior participant shared that their favourite part of the program was “meeting new people and making good friends”, meeting a key focus of the program to increase a sense of belonging in the community! The first Junior activity, ‘Welcome to Tennis’, was based at the North Melbourne Recreation Centre. Here the young people engaged in a cardio tennis session, one participant shared that “playing tennis was amazing, good and first time experiencing for me.” For many of cohort this was their first experience playing tennis and even holding a racquet! The activity was supported by the Australian Tennis Foundation who provided amazing coaches that facilitated the session as well as supporting a group of young people from Wyndham to access transport to the activity. Providing the opportunity to try new things is always a key focus of Huddle Holidays and introducing a new sport is just one example of how The Huddle achieves this! Next up for the juniors was the Huddle Activity Day! This session was also run at the North Melbourne Recreation Centre with a bus being provided for young people coming from the Wyndham region. The Activity Day provided young people the opportunity to engage in a range of different games and activities facilitated by staff from The Huddle such as Rock, Paper, Scissors Evolution, Sprout Ball, I’ve Got a Letter and many more! These activities aimed to support the young people to communicate with each other and through this, foster deeper connections and sense of belonging. One participant shared “it's safe, it makes me familiar and fun”. The value of playing fun games that encourage communication between participants was a highlight of this activity. Days like this encourage young people to have fun while feeling welcomed and safe at programs provided by The Huddle. Ice-Skating was the final event for the Juniors; this year it was run as a merged event with senior participants also attending the same session, providing a nice opportunity for siblings who cross age groups to attend together. This activity was extremely popular booking out in hours! Ice-Skating is an activity that Huddle Holidays aims to do annually, providing the chance to engage in something you might not otherwise, while also demonstrating great resilience as participants learn a challenging new skill, but show that they can get back up and keep trying after they fall. This year the session was run at Ice HQ, whose staff provided a brief intro to skating before supporting the young people to feel safe on the Ice. One participant shared about Ice- Skating, "it was my first time doing and it was really fun” and another identified that “the staff were so inclusive and kind”. We are sure there are plenty of participants ready to sign up for this activity again next year! The senior programming (13- to 18-years-old) saw two additional activities to Ice Skating, these included a competitive 3 v 3 Basketball Tournament and a Barista Course. One explained their experience as “very engaging, I had a lot of fun, I learnt some new skills and made some new friends.” As well as providing opportunities for young people to build connections the senior program tries to include opportunities like the Barista course that support young people develop skills they can use in their everyday lives and add to their resumes. The Basketball tournament was held at Eagle Stadium. It saw many returning players compete and great sportspersonship was demonstrated throughout the day! The winning team on the day featured young people who regularly attend our Huddle Up! Senior program. They had all competed before, but this was their first time winning a tournament run by The Huddle. To learn more about our free Sport and Recreation program head to the link here . The Barista session was run at The Huddle classroom in North Melbourne. Participants learned about the history of coffee, the different types of coffee and how to make them as well as some of the basics behind why coffee works as a business. The general key take away for each person as summed up by one participant was that “It gave me a real-life skill I can apply to my life. I learnt many new things, and it was a great experience overall.” As well as just enjoying “learning how to make coffees and hot chocolates and drinking the hot chocolates”. Another highlight of the activity was inviting staff from the North Melbourne Football Club to stop by and enjoy a free cuppa made by the young people. The Huddle was also lucky to have 3 volunteers attend from the Community Bank Seddon. These workers add so much to the program and are big reason as to why so many young people can attend the program, with their support there was over 200 attendances these holidays! 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 September 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 . Previous Next

The Huddle will begin delivering its award-winning programs in new locations from July < Back The Huddle partners with YMCA Victoria Riley Goodwin 16 June 2022 The Huddle will begin delivering its award-winning programs in new locations from July The Huddle will begin delivering its award-winning programs in new locations from July after the Active Melbourne Recreation Facilities contract was awarded to the YMCA of Victoria in partnership with The Huddle. Active Melbourne is the City of Melbourne’s Sport and Recreation team who work to provide facilities, programs and services that connect the community. After an extensive tender process, the Active Melbourne contract will see The Huddle’s outreach programs being delivered across 9 venues including the North Melbourne Community Centre and the Hub@Docklands. All of The Huddle’s programs are free, inclusive and accessible with a focus on connecting and empowering young people to learn, grow and belong. Programs will include school holiday activities, camping retreats, women’s workouts, study support, career readiness and employment opportunities. “We are thrilled and sincerely thank the City of Melbourne for the opportunity to expand our community outreach programs further across Melbourne,” The Huddle CEO Cam McLeod said. “We also extend our thanks to the YMCA and look forward to continuing to work with them. “Since 2010, The Huddle’s core focus has been to strengthen social inclusion, education and careers for young people and we are excited at the opportunity this partnership will bring. “The YMCA’s focus on inclusivity and connection to their communities falls in line with our values at The Huddle, so our relationship is a great fit.” Previous Next

North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney has been awarded the 2022 Tom Hafey Variety Heart of Football Award < Back North captain rewarded for outstanding community work North Media 27 Sept 2022 North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney has been awarded the 2022 Tom Hafey Variety Heart of Football Award North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos captain Emma Kearney has been awarded the 2022 Tom Hafey Variety Heart of Football Award. The award, presented by Variety - the Children's Charity, acknowledges a current AFL or AFLW player who has demonstrated selfless actions and dedication to children. It is named in honour of football legend Tom Hafey who coached and played at several clubs before inspiring thousands of school children with his community work. Kearney is the Head of Education at The Huddle and throughout the past 12 months she has designed and delivered programs to support thousands of children and young people's resilience, mental health and well-being and helped educators address the complexities of home learning during COVID lockdowns. Through her leadership, the True North program was established to help engage at-risk and vulnerable students from diverse backgrounds. Over the past year, the program has benefited more than 650 children and young people by helping them learn, grow and belong by being re-engaged in their classroom. Kearney's passion for education has seen her become the first AFLW player to receive the award, and she joins a list of past winners that includes Joel Selwood, Eddie Betts, Luke Ball and others. Previous Next

That’s a wrap! Reliving and remembering the Summer Huddle Holidays! < Back Recapping Huddle Holidays Summer 2025 Patrick McPhee 3 Feb 2025 That’s a wrap! Reliving and remembering the Summer Huddle Holidays! That’s a wrap! Summer Huddle Holidays 2025 has come to an end, and what a massive two weeks it was! 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.  This year our summer programming was set between Tuesday, January 14th and Thursday, January 23rd. Over the two weeks, we fit in 4 junior activities and 2 senior ones. It was action packed! This Huddle Holidays saw our Juniors (aged 8- to 12-years-old), participate in an Arts and Craft Day, a trip to Anglesea Beach, a visit at the Australian Sports Museum and a Multi-Sport Clinic. As the first of our four sets of holiday activities in 2025, the focus was on building connections with their peers. Throughout all junior activities, our participants were placed in small groups built around their ages to promote safety and inclusion. Following the holidays, one participant acknowledged that a highlight was, “I like meeting other kids around my age and trying out new activities.” What an awesome reflection! Our first activity of the year was our Junior Summer Arts and Craft Day. Here, the participants started off by getting to know their small groups with fun icebreaker activities focused around learning names and setting up our holidays for success! Next, we broke into groups, half of the participants engaged their creative side in a choose- your-own-adventure craft space. Some young people folded paper aeroplanes, others choose to draw or colour in, but the biggest hit was beading! Young people created bracelets and necklaces, some for themselves, some for friends and some for family! One participant expressed that they “loved making friendship bracelets” and that The Huddle staff were “really lovely and helped him.” The other half of our participants embraced their active side, through playing drama games and circle activities aimed at providing the group opportunities to get active and mingle amongst the whole group. After a quick snack break, our participants switched spaces and got to try their hand at the other half! At the conclusion of the day, we launched our Huddle Hero awards. Huddle Hero prizes are a big hit here at The Huddle, and at all our events and programs we recognise participants who go above and beyond to demonstrate some amazing traits including teamwork, talking to new people and engaging fully in the activity. Our Huddle Hero awards continued throughout the Junior holiday activities. Next up for the Juniors was the annual Anglesea Beach trip. This was a massive highlight! Upon arriving at Anglesea, our participants were greeting by the amazing team at the Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club who helped them all to squeeze into wetsuits before a session on Water Safety. From here, every participant was paired with a water safety team member to support them in the water – then it was into the waves! The Anglesea volunteers were amazing supporters for the young people on the water, encouraging them to build their confidence and helping them to surf! On reflection from this activity, The Huddle staff felt it was a record number of young people standing up on the boards and this is a credit to the amazing work by the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club. After the water session, the participants enjoyed a BBQ lunch prepared by even more Anglesea volunteers. Many young people expressed their love for this activity, but a highlight was a participant sharing, “thank you for organising these activities, because of today I have spoken to my mum, she is going to bring me back here to hire a surfboard and continue practicing, because I had so much fun!” Returning to Anglesea each year is a special opportunity for The Huddle community to build its connection with the Surf Life Saving Club while participants develop lifelong skills in a controlled and safe environment. The Huddle wishes to thank the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club for their ongoing support of our program! The second week of Huddle Holidays started with the Junior participants visiting the Australian Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The group started in the Game On exhibit. This fun space offered many little tasters of different sports including AFL, Netball, Soccer, Surfing, Cycling, and more! The exhibit also had other physical challenges including reflex tests and catching. Following the exhibit, the group headed into the museum which used engaging displays to share some insight into the history of many different Australian sports. Participants really enjoyed learning more about their favourite sports, and some new ones! The final junior activity was our Multi-Sport Clinic held at the North Melbourne Community Centre. Young people engaged in four sports lessons facilitated by some of our Huddle Up! Leaders. Huddle Up! is The Huddle’s sports and recreation program that runs out of multiple locations in Wyndham and Melbourne throughout school terms. Learn more about Huddle Up! Junior (5-12-years-old) and Senior (13+ years-old) here: Huddle Up! Junior - Huddle Up! Senior . In age-appropriate groups, our Juniors engaged in different hands-on activities aiming to further their interest and skills in sports such as AFL, Soccer, Basketball and even Juggling! It was clear throughout the day that this was all a lot of fun for people of all skill levels. One mother shared “My daughter is not naturally gifted with sports, but she was so motivated to win a prize for her group that it's really built up her confidence and enthusiasm for different sports.” The Multi-Sport Clinic was an exciting way to close out our Junior activities for Summer 2025 and we look forward to seeing everyone back in Autumn! Our Seniors (13- to 18-years-old) had the opportunity these holidays to enjoy a day at the Australian Open and to try their skills in a round of Bowling and Mini-Golf. One participant shared that a highlight for the holiday period was, “I get to meet new people and try out things I wouldn’t have otherwise tried”. Like the Junior program, a focus of the Senior activities was to provide opportunities to connect with new people and try new things. Our first Senior activity at the Australian Open was supported by the Australian Tennis Foundation’s Brighter Days program. Through this, the Foundation generously provided tickets for our participants to attend the tennis and hand-delivering some gift bags – talk about spoiled! The Seniors spent time watching the eventual Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner’s open training session and past winner Naomi Osaka’s round 1 match. Some participants shared that this was their first time watching the tennis and the group spent some of the day’s downtime getting to know each other while teaching each other the rules of the game. It was a hit! The other Senior activity was Bowling and Mini-Golf at Strike in Point Cook. Bowling and Mini-Golf set the scene for the competitions on the day, but the real winner was a day spent in teams, providing the opportunity to meet and connect with people they otherwise wouldn’t. One participant stated, “I liked how inclusive everyone was, it felt good to know that you will always have fun no matter who you are with.” We love to hear it! Thanks to our participants, their families, activity providers and partners – Victorian Department of Education and Bendigo Bank Seddon. We couldn’t have this much fun without you! Watch the highlight recap of the Summer Huddle Holidays HERE. Huddle Holidays will return in April 2025 with an all-new, exciting range of activities across both Junior and Senior age groups. If you would like any further information or to join our email list so you can be notified when we launch registrations, please email huddle@nmfc.com.au .  Previous Next

< Back Study Squad is back for 2025! Need a space to get locked in this school term? Patrick McPhee Previous Next

In partnership with Mott MacDonald, The Huddle has won the 2023 Asia Pacific Audio Visual Industry Award for the best application of AV in Education < Back The Huddle Claims Prestigious AV Industry Award North Media 5 Sept 2023 In partnership with Mott MacDonald, The Huddle has won the 2023 Asia Pacific Audio Visual Industry Award for the best application of AV in Education It is one of the most prestigious awards in the Australian AV Industry and was handed out in Sydney last week. The Huddle’s immersive education program 'Game Day' is helping thousands of students kick goals in the classroom with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The judges at the event praised the community engagement aspects of the project and the way it enables a new and immersive approach to teaching STEM. Previous Next