This bustling, vibrant, activity taking place at the Wingate Ave Community Centre was something that 12 months ago would have been unimaginable.
North Melbourne players Tom Jeffries and Declan Watson, supported by Huddle volunteers engaged with a group of children teaching them the art of kicking and handballing a footy. In the background, a member of the Victorian Police is flipping sausages on the barbecue. And dozens of parents and community members gather around the neighbourhood playground enjoying each other’s company and being entertained by the bright smiles on their kids’ faces as they play.
Only a year ago, the neighbourhood playground was barely used and was viewed by families as unsafe.
“We learned that the families didn’t feel safe having their kids play outside due to the fear of violence and crime,” Zac Read, Manager of Schools and Community Engagement at North Melbourne, told North Media.
“Because access to open space and playgrounds is essential for healthy hearts and healthy minds, it was the perfect place for the Kanga’s First Kick program.”
Launched by The Huddle in 2014, Kanga’s First Kick is a program designed to introduce kids between the ages of five and 12, from migrant and refugee backgrounds, to AFL and other sports to strengthen their sense of belonging.
The program was initially solely based in Flemington, but after visiting Ascot Vale, North Melbourne and The Huddle, staff decided to launch it at the Wingate Ave Community Centre as well.
North Melbourne is quite literally bringing new opportunities to the doorstep of the community.
Fast forward to the end of March 2018, the previously quiet and empty park is now packed with kids and their families. Many voices, and many languages, float across the open space.
One of these voices that wasn’t so much floating across the space as punctuating it, was of one of the nine-year-old participants.
“Look, I’m the world’s tiniest ruckman!” the child shouted at North Melbourne player Declan Watson.
“It’s so great seeing the kids run around and enjoy themselves,” Watson told North Media.
“It’s important for us as a club to interact with our communities and encourage kids to get involved and stay active.”
Watson couldn’t be more right. In just six weeks the trust and connections between the Ascot Vale community and the volunteers have grown.
Though North’s players are the ones in the spotlight as role models and teaching the game, in the eyes of many of these kids, the Huddle’s volunteers, though maybe a little shorter and not quite as fast, are just as important, impressive, and impactful.
