A group of 8-to-14-year-olds in Red Cliffs have co-designed a 3×3 basketball program with support from Hands Up Mallee, Mallee Sports Assembly and Victoria Police
8- to 14-year-olds are taking the lead in creating new opportunities for their peers in Red Cliffs, working alongside Hands Up Mallee, Mallee Sports Assembly and Victoria Police to co-design a Middle Years 3×3 Basketball Program built by young people, for young people.
The initiative forms part of Belonging as Prevention, a Community Action Plan funded through the Northern Mallee Local Drug Action Team with support from the Alcohol and Drug Foundation. The project aims to create positive opportunities for young people early in life, helping reduce future risks by strengthening connection, confidence, participation and relationships.
During July, local young people participated in two co-design workshops facilitated by Mallee Sports Assembly, where they helped shape the structure and activities of the program. Their ideas are now being put into action through six weeks of training and basketball sessions from 22nd July- 2nd September involving their peers and actively supported by local organisations.
Hands Up Mallee Social Impact Lead for Red Cliffs, Mel Tucker, said the project builds on several years of listening to and learning from young people in the community.
“This work reflects what young people have been telling us for years. Through ongoing conversations and community engagement, they identified the need for safe and affordable places to connect, better access to recreation opportunities and need for local after-school programs,” Mel Tucker said.
“The most important aspect is that young people are not simply participating in a program, they are helping design and deliver it. Community organisations, local government and services are supporting young people to share their ideas and turn them into action,” Ms Tucker added.
These findings informed initiatives such as the successful Free Pool Access Pilot and helped shape the current focus on creating meaningful participation opportunities for young people.
The project has also been informed by Hands Up Mallee’s learning partnership with the Centre for Community Child Health and local partners including Red Cliffs Focus Group, Red Cliffs schools, MRCC and services. It highlights the importance of supporting middle-years young people through opportunities that extend beyond physical infrastructure and sport alone, creating spaces where connection, confidence and belonging can grow.
According to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s CEO, Dr Erin Lalor AM: “Primary prevention, through initiatives such as the Local Drug Action Teams program, is a critical part of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to reduce the impact of alcohol and other drugs in the community, particularly amongst young people. It addresses the root causes of harmful alcohol and other drug use, helping to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors.
For example, we know positive relationships with family and other role models, strong parental supervision, a sense of connectedness to school and the broader community, as well as participation in healthy activities with adult engagement, can all help to limit or minimise exposure to risky behaviour around alcohol and other drugs, she explained.
The basketball program is the first of a series of upcoming activities planned under the Belonging as Prevention project.