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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

Huddle Holidays concludes with an exhilarating day of bouldering at Climb West Melbourne < Back Bouldering Back To School 13 July 2024 Huddle Holidays concludes with an exhilarating day of bouldering at Climb West Melbourne As Huddle Holidays come to a close, we capped off the holidays with an exhilarating bouldering session at Climb West Melbourne. Coach Josh guided us through the fundamentals and coached us through challenging climbs. Although Huddle Holidays has concluded for now, keep an eye on our page for updates on next term's exciting holiday programs! 📅 A big thank you to The Victorian State Government and Community Bank Seddon for their support in making these enriching experiences possible. 🙌 Previous Next

A STEM education initiative designed to bring the excitement of Motorsport into classrooms across the country. < Back Official Launch for GOAL! Motorsport Australia David Middlemast 23 Mar 2025 A STEM education initiative designed to bring the excitement of Motorsport into classrooms across the country. We are proud to officially launch Motorsport Australia GOAL!, a STEM education initiative designed to bring the excitement of motorsport into classrooms across the country. Developed in partnership with Motorsport Australia and the Mathematical Association of Victoria, GOAL! offers six interactive lesson plans that use motorsport to teach core STEM principles to students in Years 5-8. Since becoming available to schools in mid-2024, the program has already been adopted by 106 schools, with 165 teachers downloading the resources and engaging over 4,600 students nationwide. Motorsport Australia CEO Sunil Vohra said the launch of GOAL! represents a significant step in making motorsport more accessible to young Australians. “Motorsport Australia GOAL! is about more than just motorsport – it’s about inspiring the next generation of engineers, team strategists, and problem solvers,” Vohra said. “By bringing motorsport into the classroom, we’re providing students with hands-on learning experiences that make STEM education more engaging and relevant. “Motorsport offers meaningful career options, and Motorsport Australia GOAL! is an early step for STEM pathways into building the skills needed for roles in engineering, data analysis, aerodynamics, and race strategy.” The program features lessons such as ‘Chance of Victory’, where students learn about probability and team management by allocating a budget across a racing team, and ‘Protecting Eggbert’, which teaches safety principles as students design and test helmets after learning from real racing drivers like Bayley Hall, Porsche Carrera Cup driver. “The early response has been fantastic, with more than 4,600 students already engaging with Motorsport Australia GOAL! in classrooms across the country. Now that we’ve officially launched, we’re excited to reach even more schools and continue to show students that motorsport isn’t just about racing – it’s about science, strategy, and teamwork,” said Charlie Barlow, Development Manager, Motorsport Australia. “Motorsport Australia GOAL! aligns to the Australian and Victorian Curriculum, and the NSW Syllabus, ensuring teachers have an accessible and engaging resource that supports student learning and introduces them to the world of motorsport in a way they may not have experienced before. “We’re excited to see this program continue to grow and inspire the next generation of students across the country.” Importantly, the initiative is not designed to compete with other motorsport STEM programs, but rather to introduce students to motorsport-inspired learning before they potentially progress to initiatives like FIA Girls on Track. “At The Huddle, we’re passionate about using sport to create meaningful educational opportunities for young Australians. Our partnership with Motorsport Australia on GOAL! is a perfect example of how sport can be a powerful tool for learning, particularly in STEM,” said Cameron McLeod, CEO, The Huddle. “Motorsport Australia GOAL! has been designed to give students a fresh and engaging way to learn STEM through the world of motorsport. “Hands-on, real-world application helps students retain knowledge, and this program provides an exciting way to introduce key concepts like engineering, probability, and design in a way that resonates with young learners.” “GOAL! is a fantastic way to introduce students to the many different career paths in motorsport beyond just driving,” said Aiva Anagnostiadis , Professional Racing Driver, who attended the event as a guest speaker. “STEM plays such a huge role in racing, from aerodynamics to race strategy, and this program helps students see how those skills apply in the real world. “For those who want to take their learning even further, GOAL! can also be a stepping stone to programs like F1 in Schools, where students can put their engineering and problem-solving skills to the test in a competitive environment.” Also speaking at the launch event, 2024 Bathurst 1000 Winner Todd Hazelwood highlighted the program’s role in broadening participation in motorsport, particularly for young women. “Motorsport is so much more than just driving—it’s about science, technology, engineering, and teamwork. Programs like GOAL! help students see that they can have a future in motorsport, whether as a driver, engineer, or strategist,” Hazelwood said. With the official launch now underway, Motorsport Australia aims to expand the program to 500 schools across the country, ensuring even more students get the opportunity to engage with motorsport in a meaningful way. For more information on Motorsport Australia GOAL! or to access the lesson plans, please click here . 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 HIStory Camp debuts Ten male participants took a leap and climbed high in the first ever HIStory Camp Riley Goodwin Previous Next

The Huddle's employees share their stories with Truganina students < Back True North ‘Grit’ with Al-Taqwa College Joshua Raymer 16 May 2023 The Huddle's employees share their stories with Truganina students The True North framework focuses on connections, values, identity, grit, mindset, mental health, emotional intelligence, understanding others, teamwork, leadership, and self-awareness. All workshops support young people to develop resilience, build upon their protective factors by identifying and developing their strengths, and increase their understanding of social cohesion through exploring perspectives and stories of others. For a second year running, The Huddle delivered two True North sessions at Al-Taqwa College’s Year 12 Camps. These camps are aimed to provide 100 students with motivation, inspiration, and strategies to succeed in their final year of secondary schooling. To suit the theme of the camps, The Huddle delivered our ‘Grit’ workshops at both the Boys and Girls camps. The ‘Grit’ workshop explores the importance of students showing resilience and determination - highlighting that to achieve success, an individual must display grit when faced with challenging situations. Importantly, The Huddle had former Al-Taqwa students and community leaders co-facilitate each ‘Grit’ workshop. Saeed Ali (Coordinator, Social Cohesion for Children and Young People, pictured above), Khadija Abdullah (Program Support Officer) and Asli Abdullahi (Coordinator, Social Cohesion for Parents, Women and Families) presented relatable stories demonstrating how they showed grit and determination during their secondary schooling and university studies. The shared experiences of facilitators and students enhanced a sense of connection and understanding between all parties throughout the sessions. The stories told by facilitators resonated strongly with students, and Huddle staff were able to promote how other programs such as Study Squad can help students during their final year of secondary schooling. The Huddle is now working with Al-Taqwa College on integrating more social cohesion through education, or SCTE, initiatives throughout 2023 and beyond. The Huddle recently assisted Al-Taqwa students with running activities at their annual Eid fundraiser, and Al-Taqwa College staff are also utilising The Huddle’s True North Portal and relevant resources to deliver lessons to students. “We really appreciate your team coming out to the camp and running the program. It was definitely beneficial. I’ve also used True North resources during my lessons which were great!” – Urooj Shah, Year 12 Coordinator, Al-Taqwa College Interested in learning more, or accessing free resources? True North and other Huddle educator resources can be found here. Previous Next

Thank you to all of our partners. Your contributions allow us to continue to provide free resources to help young people learn, grow and belong. Thank you to our partners Founding Partners North Melbourne Football Club Scanlon Foundation Australian Multicultural Foundation Corporate Partners Spirit of Tasmania Bendigo Bank Rodine Dulux Electrical Trades Union Mazda Scalzo Government Partners Victoria State Government City of Melbourne Wyndham City Council Trusts & Foundations PMF Foundation The Baker Foundation Sports Partners Australian Football League Melbourne City Football Club AFL Victoria Australian Institute of Sport AFL Tasmania National Basketball League Education Partners The Mathematical Association of Victoria Learn Fresh SEDA College Community Partners YMCA Victoria Cricket Victoria Westgate Basketball Our Community Tennis Australia Wyndham City Youth Services Victoria Police Hockey Victoria Ultimate Victoria Werribee Football Club Ubuntu Project

Getting out and active before summers gone! < Back Ending the Summer with a Sports Clinic Jasper Menor 23 Jan 2025 Getting out and active before summers gone! As the school holidays come to a close and we wrap up Huddle Holidays, we close it out with a super Sports Clinic featuring Aussie Rules Football, juggling skills, basketball and soccer. Our facilitators did such a wonderful job keeping everyone engaged and giving each participant the support they needed to get involved. Juggling is a lot trickier than it looks. We had fun for the whole family. Thanks to Walking Football 4 Health Victoria, parents joined in the action with a battle for the ages; young participants versus the parents. It was the perfect way to get everyone involved and keep the energy all day long. What a great way to conclude Huddle Holidays this summer with an activity that got everyone in the family moving. This definitely won't be the last! Thank you to our partners: Department of Education and Training (DET), Community Bank Seddon, City of Melbourne, Wyndham City Council and The Y for making the Huddle Holidays possible. 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

Building confidence and essentials skills through Game Changers. < Back Nabiha's experience through Game Changers! Emily Maiorana 28 Oct 2024 Building confidence and essentials skills through Game Changers. Nabiha Mohamed, recently completed Game Changers at The Huddle, working collaboratively with her peers to answer the question how can we plan a multi-sport event that promotes participation and social inclusion. “I heard about Game Changers from my educational program. What I enjoyed about Game Changers was to get to know the other girls in the group and also learning about skills I can use in my job and future wise and how to improve in getting a job in the future.” Through capacity building workshops, Nabiha used ideation strategies to develop and refine ideas that answered the question, before conceptually designing a program that could delivered in a community setting. Working in groups, participants then created engaging presentations to pitch their ideas to a panel industry professionals at our Game Changers Pitch Event. “My pitch was with a group of two other girls and it was based about a multi-sport for inclusion and we did it for people with disabilities and also students that are facing disadvantage in their homes.” Game Changers provides young people with opportunities to learn and develop essential skills through problem solving and project management activities, providing an immersive and engaging experience that replicates modern work environments and expectations. “What I learned in Game Changes was transferable skills that I can use in my future with getting a job and my career. I think it (has) helped me improve to speaking to people and with my confidence.” Check out Nabiha’s time with us in Game Changers in the video below. Previous Next

The Huddle is the perfect space for teams of up to 30 people to feel engaged, be inspired, connect with each other, and explore the future of possibilities. ENGAGE AND EMPOWER YOUR TEAM WITH US The Huddl e is the perfect space for teams of up to 30 people to feel engaged, be inspired, connect with each other, and explore the future of possibilities. NMFC Dec 2022_009 DSC05787 NMFC Dec 2022 016 NMFC Dec 2022_009 1/5 BOOK ONLINE Bookings are limited . Book Now BROCHURE Benefits and inclusions . FIND OUT MORE FOOD MENU Cat ering your day . FIND OUT MORE

As The Huddle’s impact in the Wyndham area continues to grow, our volunteers and their connections to the community are vital in helping young people learn, grow and belong < Back Volunteer Get to Know: Eli Riley Goodwin 18 May 2022 As The Huddle’s impact in the Wyndham area continues to grow, our volunteers and their connections to the community are vital in helping young people learn, grow and belong As The Huddle’s impact in the Wyndham area continues to grow, our volunteers and their connections to the community are vital in helping young people learn, grow and belong. One such volunteer is Eli. Since joining The Huddle in December 2021, Eli has been instrumental in building our Huddle Up volleyball program on Friday nights at Eagle Stadium in Werribee. We sat down with Eli to learn more about how he came to be a volunteer at The Huddle and his journey with volunteering so far. How did you first learn about the Huddle? I’ve always been really passionate about sport (particularly volleyball) and I was actually running my own volleyball session out in the local park because I wanted to increase engagement with the community and give people a place to go. Some of the youths who were coming down each week said they heard about The Huddle running a volleyball activity at Eagle Stadium, so I went down one night and spoke to Steph (Head of Sport & Recreation at The Huddle) and asked if they were looking for volunteers. She said yes and I applied on The Huddle website that night! It worked out perfectly to be honest. As much as I enjoyed going down to the park, it is nice to not have to lug around my own equipment and playing inside means we can keep going regardless of the weather. How long have been involved in Volleyball for? I played growing up back home in New Zealand. I was lucky enough to go to a volleyball school which meant I got to play pretty much every day! I continued playing during my time in the Defence Force and Army as well, so it’s been a big part of my life that’s for sure. I’ve been getting more into coaching these past few years as I’m getting a bit old. Although I still play on a Wednesday night in Altona, so I haven’t completely stopped yet. What’s your favourite part about coaching? Seeing improvements from people each and every week. It’s really rewarding watching people gain more and more confidence and doing things they didn’t think they were capable of. It’s great building that sense of community and supportive environments as well. What would you say to anyone who’s interested in volunteering but hasn’t done it before and doesn’t know where to start? I think an important thing is to find something you’re passionate about and volunteer in that space. I have always loved sport, so a lot of my volunteering has centred around that. But I think there’s always opportunities to help people with everything really, whether it’s education, helping people write resumes and apply for jobs, etc. You can help people in so many different ways. Most importantly, give it a go! You have nothing to lose. The feeling you get from helping people is unmatched and I wish everyone could experience it. You can also make a really positive impact on an individual or a group of people’s lives. Previous Next