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Cultivating Skills and Building Lasting Confidence < Back Mastering Confidence: Unleashing Your Inner Game Changer John King 24 Aug 2023 Cultivating Skills and Building Lasting Confidence New research released from headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation (2023) shows only one in two young people feel confident when it comes to succeeding in their current or future career aspirations. The headspace National Youth Mental Health Survey found only 54 per cent of young people felt fairly or very confident in applying for a job. The same survey found only 52 per cent of young people felt they have the necessary skills to succeed in their current or future career. Game Changers supports young people to be critical thinkers, develop transferable skills, define their career pathways, and gain employment with organisations that are welcoming and inclusive. Delivered through collaborative partnerships with youth led cultural groups located within our communities, participants are also brought together through various education workshops and forums, including with industry professionals to grow their confidence, skills, knowledge and networks. Weng Hei Chan (Vanessa) participated in Game Changers in Autumn, joining nineteen other young people to develop and expand on these skill sets. Participants were given a central question during the Game Changers workshops and tasked with creating innovative solutions using ideation and problem-solving frameworks. Working in collaborative groups, participants had to create a media plan and presentation which answered, “how can we tell the stories of elite athletes in a unique and engaging way?". “This program incorporates my two interests: sports and media. It was exciting to think about these two things together every day. Getting to work with something I am passionate about, plus with people sharing the same interest, I enjoyed all the happy, sometimes tough, and brainstorming moments in the program.” While moving through the activities within Game Changers, staff from The Huddle and Ubuntu Project work with groups to identify the various transferrable skills they are using to complete tasks, overcome challenges and solve problems. There is also a focus on how participant’s experiences within Game Changers can be used to demonstrate skills, characteristics and talents that are highly desirable for employers looking to hire young people. “An attitude or behaviour can determine the impression others have of me. And of course, there's no need to hide my personality and differences, because this makes me stand out from others.” After completing their group activities, participants are given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of industry professionals. This also affords them an opportunity to meet with people who are succeeding in the career fields they are interested in, build their professional networks and gain insights into what it takes to get employment in particular industries. At the conclusion of the Pitch Event portion of the Game Changers Programs, The Huddle offer five paid Employment Experiences to participants, who get the opportunity to incorporate their innovative ideas into a program or initiative being delivered by The Huddle. As a result of her participation in Game Changers, Vanessa was able to build her confidence, showcase her talents and gain real-world experience and advice that would benefit her on her career journey. Vanessa was also offered and Employment Experience with The Huddle to help create the next series of True North videos with our AFL and AFLW players. “Game Changers has provided an insight into what workplaces, employers and HR expect in Australia. The information is important to make me more competitive in the job market. Especially, as an international fresh graduate, it's tough to find a job that I like. It also provides an opportunity to apply the skills that I learnt to a media pitch. Through it, I feel I am closer to a real working environment than before. This program has prepared me to become more mature to face the challenges in my future career… and now our team is making True North videos, we participated in and we contributed to every part of the production. The program has allowed me to convert my knowledge into reality, which the university cannot provide.” Game Changers will continue to provide unique and engaging opportunities for young people to gain experience, grow professionally and build their confidence to ensure they have the skills and resilience needed to succeed to the current employment climate. To learn more about Game Changers, please contact: Emily Maiorana, Careers Coordinator at The Huddle. emily.maiorana@nmfc.com.au . Previous Next

Celebrating Sagalee Omer's awards and recognition at the Multicultural Youth Awards 2024. < Back Congratulations Sagelee Omer and Shooters Shoot! Cassandra Hadson 9 Oct 2024 Celebrating Sagalee Omer's awards and recognition at the Multicultural Youth Awards 2024. The Multicultural Youth Awards 2024 took centre stage at Victoria’s Parliament House on October 5, celebrating the remarkable achievements of young multicultural leaders from across Victoria. A standout of the evening was Sagalee Omer, honored as both the Entrepreneur of the Year and recipient of the Australian Minister for Youth’s Award. As a co-founder of the charity basketball organisation Shooters Shoot, Omer has played a pivotal role in raising over $66,000 to support youth in the community. Over the past year, The Huddle has collaborated with Shooters Shoot to support charity basketball tournaments that provide vital funds for young people's physical and mental wellbeing. These initiatives have directly funded psychological and therapy appointments, as well as purchased bicycles to encourage physical activity. This partnership exemplifies Shooters Shoot’s commitment to understanding the crucial link between physical and mental health, and the importance of supporting young people at every stage of their mental health journey. Congratulations, Sagalee, on your hard work and the incredible impact you are making in our communities! Previous Next

Need educational support and a safe space to study? Come down to Study Squad! < Back Study Squad is back for Term 3 29 July 2024 Need educational support and a safe space to study? Come down to Study Squad! Looking for a safe space to do your homework and receive academic support? 📝 Study Squad is the program for you! 📚 Get ahead this school term and join us for this FREE program! Study Squad is a safe space for young people aged 12-25 years 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. Study Squad will be running on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Mondays & Tuesdays 3:30pm - 6:30pm @ Arden St. Wednesdays 3:30pm - 5:30pm @ The Huddle Werribee See you there! Previous Next

Helping young people in their career development and teaching them transferable skills. < Back Changing the game with Game Changers! 12 July 2024 Helping young people in their career development and teaching them transferable skills. Changing the game through Game Changers! Game Changers offers participants the chance to acquire employability, transferable, and project management skills through workshops, one-on-one Career Coaching, and supported Employment Experiences. Additionally, participants engage in educational workshops and forums with industry professionals to enhance their skills, knowledge, and networks. Game Changers is a collaborative initiative with youth-led cultural groups in our communities to cater to the needs of local youth. It also enables The Huddle to support these groups in developing skills, knowledge, and networks for a collective impact. We express our gratitude to the Ubuntu Project for their assistance and support throughout the program. Previous Next

Game Changers helped Tigist develop skills, connections and community impact < Back Community Impact Through Game Changers Previous Next

Celebrating community in North Melbourne < Back North Melbourne Public Housing Residents Association Community Fair 11 July 2024 Celebrating community in North Melbourne On Saturday, June 29th, 2024, the vibrant community of North Melbourne gathered at 33 Alfred Street to celebrate the official launch of the North Melbourne Public Housing Residents Association (NMPHRA). The inaugural Community Fair was a testament to the rich diversity and spirited culture of our local community. Highlighting Diversity and Community Spirit The Community Fair was a joyous occasion aimed at celebrating the diversity and community spirit that define North Melbourne. From cultural performances to interactive exhibits, the event showcased the myriad of cultures and traditions that thrive within our neighbourhood. In addition to cultural festivities, the Fair also spotlighted the invaluable services provided by local organisations. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about and engage with initiatives that support education, health, and social well-being within our community. Join us in celebrating the spirit of North Melbourne’s public housing community and discover how together, we can continue to foster a vibrant and inclusive neighbourhood. 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

The River Nile School has partnered with The Huddle to empower students' leadership and sense of belonging. < Back Empowering Young Women to Learn, Grow and Belong with the River Nile School Josh Raymer 19 Sept 2024 The River Nile School has partnered with The Huddle to empower students' leadership and sense of belonging. For several years, the River Nile School in North Melbourne has partnered with The Huddle to participate in a range of different programs that empower their student’s leadership and sense of belonging through sports, education, and community engagement. The River Nile School offers full time senior secondary qualifications to support young women from a refugee background, who may have experienced disrupted schooling or find a flexible learning environment most suitable to their learning. We facilitated our True North program in River Nile School classrooms on multiple occasions to help develop students’ leadership, connections, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and resilience. By participating in various activities, the students find out more about themselves and others, including their identity and their values. River Nile School students also made the short trip down to the North Melbourne Recreation Centre to participate in our Huddle Up! program which brings young people together to participate in sports and recreational activities. Not only does Huddle Up! promote physical health, but it also continues to strengthen the social connections, teamwork, and a sense of belonging built through the True North sessions. River Nile School students have been actively participating in Huddle Up! and enjoyed the benefits of being physically active in a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. Staff at River Nile School have observed a marked improvement in students’ engagement and wellbeing, as well as providing new opportunities and perspectives that engaged students and provided them with a stronger sense of belonging and greater community connections. Students have echoed this sentiment by sharing that they have become more confident, emotionally intelligent, physically active and socially connected. The long-standing relationship between The Huddle and the River Nile School has provided students with a more supportive educational environment to empower their students to learn, grow and belong, and this relationship will continue to be strengthened in years to come. Previous Next

< Back Female Sports Tournament Hosted by Carlton Baths, in partnership with Jump Ball Previous Next

Two first-time participants share their Huddle Holidays experience < Back The Best Holidays Ever Previous Next

< Back Game Changers Pitch Event Intake One, 2024 Previous Next

Summer holidays just got cooler! < Back Riding the Waves with Huddle Holidays Jasper Menor 16 Jan 2025 Summer holidays just got cooler! Huddle Holidays took to the coast for an unforgettable day at Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club! Our participants dived straight into it learning the basics of surfing and beach safety thanks to the guidance of the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club. With expert guidance, many first-timers impressively caught their very first waves—an incredible sight to see! For some, it was not only their first time surfing but their first time at the beach, making the experience even more special. The weather couldn’t have been better, with the perfect mix of sun, wind, and warmth creating ideal conditions for a day on the water. A huge thank you to the amazing team at Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club for showing us the ropes and making it a day to remember! Previous Next