University of Melbourne Master of Teaching students and their lecturers are joining forces with the North Melbourne Football Club to foster social cohesion in one of Melbourne’s most culturally diverse neighbourhoods.
Football clubs can be the heart of a community, and not just in rural areas where they have long been the focus of the social life of towns large and small. In Melbourne too, both in the inner city and more outlying areas, football clubs are important for many reasons other than sport.
The inner city suburb of North Melbourne is no exception, where the club rooms of its historic AFL team have recently been totally rebuilt, both as a training facility, and a community resource.
The Huddle is the brainchild of North Melbourne Football Club’s chief executive, Eugene Arocca. In effect a ‘community classroom’, The Huddle was an essential element in the rebuild of the club’s Arden Street training facilities. It was established by the Scanlon Foundation and is supported by a range of government, industry and community partnerships.
The University of Melbourne is one such partner, with a number of staff and students contributing to The Huddle’s programs.
“North Melbourne is a key part of the University’s local community, and the links between The Huddle and University programs represent a true partnership approach to giving back to that local community,” says Dr Sonja Hood, General Manager of The Huddle and University of Melbourne alumna.
“From my point of view, The Huddle - like the University - strives to be excellent, innovative and inclusive in everything we do.”
Dr Russell Cross from the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education is fully behind The Huddle. “It’s been a great for the University, and especially the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, to have the opportunity to collaborate on something as ambitious as this,” he says.
“The Huddle not only presents an opportunity to think differently about what teaching and learning means, beyond the scope of the regular school setting or traditional classroom, but also for how others beyond schools can be involved in education.”
The Huddle’s Education Programs Manager Mairead Hannan agrees that a shared, collective approach to education can only mean positive outcomes and shares Dr Cross’s belief that schools can’t be separated from the community, and the community should never be cut off from schools.
“The focus on innovation in physical education in a setting like The Huddle makes it possible for teaching students to think creatively in terms of education as well as thinking strategically in terms of delivering a project beyond school,” she says.
“The experience is positive all round. One student told us that The Huddle assignment was a highlight of M-Teach for her and from our point of view, the lecturers are a delight to work with.”
Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s M-Teach, or the Master of Teaching, attracts graduates from any discipline who wish to become teachers.
“The M-Teach lecturers innovate and allow students to think and work creatively which is exactly in keeping with the vision and values of The Huddle. The students’ work has been outstanding and of a quality to incorporate into our future programs,” says Ms Hannan.
The programs The Huddle and the University develop and deliver together are rarely focused on literacy or numeracy. “Teachers from our local schools made it clear that that’s not what they need from a community classroom like ours,” says Dr Hood. “We acknowledge and respect their ability to cover that aspect of their students’ education.
“What we’re aiming to do is improve social cohesion in North Melbourne and surrounding areas, particularly targeting disengagement among young people.”
In 2011, more than 6000 young people accessed one or more of The Huddle’s programs, with students from almost every school in North Melbourne, Kensington and Flemington attending at least once.
“The Melbourne Graduate School of Education is helping us continue to develop innovative programs for these students,” says Dr Hood. “For example, one group of M-Teach students devised a historic walk around the Docklands to help school children develop a sense of belonging, knowledge about where they live and how they fit in. This will be of particular value for newly arrived refugee kids, a lot of whom live in the North Melbourne area.
“In partnership with the University’s International Office, we run special programs for overseas students and their spouses and families that explain the rules and skills involved in AFL football, culminating with a trip to the footy - North Melbourne games of course. Student volunteers from the University’s Student Ambassador Leadership Program are likewise crucial to the success of the My Bike project we run in association with the City of Melbourne and Victoria Police.”
Victoria Police make unclaimed, lost or stolen bikes available for My Bike, but it is the SALP volunteers who help the kids repair and maintain them, and then take them out every week for a ride.
Another important partnership is that of The Huddle and the Melbourne University Women’s Football Club. “They’re absolute stars,” says Dr Hood. “They train down here at Arden Street, and from April will spearhead our Girls’ Academy which recruits nine- to twelve-year-olds.
“Like all effective partnerships, everyone involved benefits,” says Dr Hood. “The kids and people from the local community who come to The Huddle or take part in our programs are the most obvious beneficiaries. But the North Melbourne footballers who contribute their time and energy emerge better, more rounded young men with enhanced awareness, sense of responsibility and improved self-esteem. And for the University students and staff The Huddle provides invaluable opportunities to develop, run, and test innovative teaching programs they’d otherwise not have access to.
“And of course, in the long run, our shared community is better, stronger and fairer, and a happier place to live, work and play.”
http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/
http://cms.unimelb.edu.au/studentservices/live/home
www.kangaroos.com.au/huddle
