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A Journey of Personal Growth and Community Connection < Back Community Iftar at North Melbourne FC Previous Next

< Back Community Camp 2025 Highlights Snapshot of Community Camp in Wyndham Previous Next

Ayden takes part in the Guard of Honour during AFL Indigenous Round < Back Participant profile: Ayden Bartlett Riley Goodwin 15 June 2022 Ayden takes part in the Guard of Honour during AFL Indigenous Round If you keep in the loop with The Huddle, you may have seen one of our participants take part in the Guard of Honour during AFL Indigenous Round this year. That participant is Ayden Bartlett Keppler, and that is only part of his journey at The Huddle. Ayden, age 13, first became involved with The Huddle in March this year, signing up to our Huddle Up! Seniors sessions at Manor Lakes P-12 College. His older sister had been attending the program, so he wanted to join in and check it out himself. Since then, Ayden has been coming to Huddle Up! consistently each week for the whole year. His favourite sport is AFL, and he also enjoys cooking and all things technology. An enthusiastic participant, Ayden is always creating new activities and games for The Huddle participants and even gets the staff to join in, since taking part in the program he has developed a love for indoor soccer, bocce (similar to lawn bowls) and badminton. "Ayden is constantly teaching me something each week at programs, whether it's how to complete a Rubix cube in 48 seconds, or anything sporty! He is always a joy in our programs delivering the vibes and the DJ tunes each week!" Community Sprot and Recreation Coordinator Candela Ferreyra Bas stated. Due to being a stand-out in the Huddle Up! Seniors cohort and a proud First Nations boy, Ayden was invited to the Guard of Honour for this North Melbourne Kangaroos Indigenous Round. Ayden attended the amazing experience with his younger brother Riley, who from that day, became a member of Roo Squad. Since his awesome experiences with The Huddle and at North Melbourne Kangaroos games, Ayden is a convert to the football club. Recently Ayden, his brother Riley, and his father Scott attended the Round 13 game versing the Giants to show their support for the club. Staff and volunteers at The Huddle admire Ayden’s commitment to the Huddle Up! Program. The energy he brings to each session with a big smile on his face makes The Huddle staff excited to see him each week! Previous Next

Join the local community in breaking fast during Ramadan < Back The Huddle's 2023 Iftar Cassandra Hadson 24 Apr 2023 Join the local community in breaking fast during Ramadan The City of Melbourne is proudly diverse, with more than 56 per cent of residents having been born overseas. In North Melbourne, almost seven per cent of the community observe Ramadan, the most sacred month of the year for Muslims, marked by a month of fasting, prayer, and reflection. On March 30, The Huddle held a community iftar, inviting members from the local North Melbourne public housing estate, community leaders, program participants and their families. It was important for this event to be inclusive of all community, rather than concentrated on community elders and leaders. With COVID-19 and venue refurbishments across 2020, 2021 and 2022, the event was a great opportunity to connect with a community who have experienced a difficult few years and have not had access to the spaces and places in which they feel most comfortable. The Huddle's 2023 iftar dinner involved members from the local North Melbourne public housing estate, community leaders, program participants and their families The North Melbourne Recreation Centre was transformed on the night, with professional staging, dining, and seating bought into the venue. On the night, more than 160 people attended, with most of these attendees being mothers, who cannot always take part in such events. During the evening, several activities took place to ensure all the attendees felt comfortable and at home. The North Melbourne Arts Bus facilitated arts and crafts on the night for the children and were able to refer participants to their monthly program at the North Melbourne Community Centre. Somali food was served to attendees and mats were laid out during the maghrib prayer. Importantly, Sheikh Adam from the Australian Muslim Special Services Agency addressed the audience, explaining to all non-Muslims in attendance the significance of Ramadan and was then able to lead the maghrib prayer. Islamic Nasheeds (a song without musical instruments with lyrics that resemble hymns that praise God) were played throughout the evening, and our MC on the night was previous Huddle employee Nasteha Mohamud. During the event, one mother mentioned that she felt “transported back to Somalia” while another mother thanked a staff member in part “for helping to raise her children”. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to experience the hospitality and warmth of Ramadan, and many commented on the delicious food and festive atmosphere. As the days passed, we witnessed a ripple of positive outcomes beyond the immediate iftar dinner. The event served as a means for promoting cultural diversity and inclusion, which is particularly important in the current climate of heightened social tensions. It provided the opportunity for The Huddle, local businesses, and organisations to build relationships and pave future collaborations and partnerships. The Huddle’s iftar played an important role in bringing people together and fostering a sense of community and belonging, while also promoting cultural understanding and inclusivity. Previous Next

Huddle Holidays Autumn 23' wrap-up. < Back Autumn 23' Huddle Holidays Previous Next

Register your school for Term One today! < Back Game Day Bookings Open for 2024 Previous Next

< Back Young Voices Shaping North Melbourne Community Centre Youth Advisory Group builds stronger connections between young people and key decision makers Zakaria Farah Previous Next

< Back Game Changers Intake One Pitch Event Previous Next

Welcome To AFL Welcome to AFL is a free event for newly arrived, multicultural and international student communities to learn the basics of AFL! You'll experience the unique and memorable opportunity of being front and centre at one of Australia's most exciting stages for sport; Marvel Stadium. We'll teach you the ins and outs of footy, from rules to the skills, and cap it all off by watching a live game of footy from the mighty North Melbourne Kangaroos. EVENT DETAILS Date: Sunday 23rd March Time: 11:30 am - 5:30 pm Location: Marvel Stadium Cost: Free event (however registration is required) Food: Lunch and snacks provided Transport: We encourage you to use public transport OR park at Marvel Stadium. FREE SIGN UP

Duad’s experiences with careers support from The Huddle < Back Community supporting community Maddy Ware and John King 14 Feb 2023 Duad’s experiences with careers support from The Huddle Recruitment processes, such as resume writing and interviews, in today’s employment landscape are becoming more complex. Young people from diverse backgrounds continue to be adversely affected by these processes, often due to a lack of exposure or access to appropriate support through their own networks. This leads to challenges in obtaining sustainable employment. Mentoring and coaching throughout the recruitment process has proven to be highly valuable to young people from diverse communities (Meet Me in the Middle Report, P.21 ). In today’s employment market, employers are consistently looking for transferrable skills over technical skills. They expect young people to be able to confidently speak about their transferable skills, as well as explain in what circumstances they use them. The objective of The Huddle’s Game Changers program is to bridge the information gap between young people and employers. By providing Career Coaching on resume writing, cover letter writing and interview preparation, young people can identify their skills and confidently communicate them to an employer. Game Changers supports young people from diverse backgrounds to not only identify skills they have acquired through their lived experiences, but also understand that they use transferable skills in everyday settings such as home life, sports, school, and work. Daud is a 19-year-old male from North Melbourne. He had been involved with The Huddle’s Huddle Holidays and Huddle Up! programs since 2020, and was referred to Game Changers through a family member who had previously been involved in the program, suggesting the supportive structure and coaching provided in the program would be beneficial. Daud connected with the Careers Coordinator mid-2022 and, following Career Coaching sessions, expressed interest in working with The Huddle or within the community setting more broadly. The interest was due to positive experiences he had participating in programs in his local North Melbourne area. After finalising his resume and cover letter, the Careers Coordinator suggested Daud apply for a role available with the YMCA, a partner organisation of The Huddle, at the North Melbourne Community Centre (NMCC). Daud was reluctant because he had been a participant at NMCC and was unsure of his abilities to lead people within his social circle. The Careers Coordinator and Daud had many conversations about his skills and abilities and what it would mean to work within his community and, despite being initially apprehensive, Daud had built up enough confidence in his abilities and decided to apply for a Duty Manager role. Daud was successful in getting an interview at NMCC and took part in a number of job interview preparation sessions, answering practice interview questions and preparing examples with the Careers Coordinator. After Daud’s interview, he felt confident in how he presented himself, his transferrable skills, and his experience as a member of the North Melbourne community. Daud was successful in his application and appointed to the role of Duty Manager, beginning at NMCC in December 2022. Through participating in Game Changers, Daud was supported to identify his talents and believe in himself, giving him the confidence needed to apply for a management position. Furthermore, Game Changers resulted in Daud having a better understanding of recruitment processes and procedures while also fostering a safe psychological environment in which Daud could learn about his abilities and successfully talk to his skillset. Daud was able to identify his skills and communicate them to an employer confidently and succinctly in an interview situation, successfully gaining employment. Game Changers massively helped me with resumes, with cover letter writing, with interviewing skills…[and] being able to appropriately sell myself in a way. - Duad Daud is thoroughly enjoying work at North Melbourne Community Centre and hopes to gain full-time employment in the community space in the future. “The thing I enjoy most about working at North Melbourne Community Centre is the community atmosphere. Being part of the community myself and being able to work in the community and do my part and give back what I got, it’s a great feeling.” Previous Next

< Back Bouldering Back To School Huddle Holidays concludes with an exhilarating day of bouldering at Climb West Melbourne Previous Next

< Back Hitting the lanes and sinking putts at Strike A day of bowling and mini-golf Jasper Menor Previous Next