Supporting young people to reach their true potential
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PROGRAMS
Stephen Michael
A West Australian Football Legend
Stephen Michael is widely considered to be one of the greatest ever players from Western Australia and arguably the greatest in the history of the South Fremantle Football Club.
Throughout his life, Stephen has demonstrated great values and integrity and the perfect role model to have a foundation honouring his name.
A proud Aboriginal man, Stephen was born in Wagin, WA and grew up in the southern Wheatbelt town of Kojonup before making his way to the South Fremantle Football Club where he became a legend.
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2024 Leadership Camp 🌊
Last week we held our annual Rising Leaders Camp at Point Peron and what a wonderful few days it was. This year we had students from our Gnalla Djooks Program join with our Rising Leaders which made for an extra special event, as well as our biggest group of students!
Take a look through some of the highlights from our first day on the camp. We kayaked, played games on the beach, and tried our hand at archery. It was great to see students who had never done these things before give them a go and embrace their surroundings - a beautiful sunny day in Point Peron was quite the contrast from the desert for some of our students.
We’ve got lots more to share, so stay tuned for some of the best parts of our camp yet to come.
Community Engagement 🤝
The Waalitj Kaartidjin Engagement Boys Program has been successfully running at Busselton Senior High School throughout the school year. During this time, we’ve focused on building skills in sports, cooking, and leadership. The relationships and trust we’ve fostered have helped our Waalitj Kaartidjin students grow in confidence, particularly as they prepared for an engagement session with the @lifeatriotinto Gudai Dari team.
Our students took the initiative to prepare their own questions and facilitated a Q&A session with the Rio representatives. It was heartwarming to witness the quick rapport they developed during this two-hour interaction. While they learned about Rio Tinto, they also had the opportunity to teach the Rio staff how to kick an AFL ball and introduced them to our beloved four-square volleyball, which has been a favourite activity this year.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the staff from Gudai Dari Rio Tinto for their valuable time and support.
Cultural Excursion 🌿
Our Gnalla Djooks ladies from Rockingham and Lakeland Senior High Schools recently enjoyed an enriching excursion at Kings Park, Mooro Katta Gar-Up.
The ladies participated in a cultural tour led by @nyungartours , where their guide Honey, shared in-depth stories and knowledge about the rich history and cultural significance of the area.
Honey introduced the group to various native plants, explaining their traditional uses as medicinal plants and bush foods.
After the tour, the group came together to share a delicious lunch, providing a relaxed moment to reflect on the insights they’d gained. It was a day filled with learning, cultural appreciation, and new connections - a meaningful experience that left a lasting impact on each participant.
These ARE the Future Leaders
You’ve heard about Rising Leaders… but have you heard or seen our up and coming Future Leaders Program?
Future Leaders is all about preparing our young primary schoolers for the transition to high school and everything that entails, talking about our identities, how to work as a team, our (multiple) cultures, our values and how we develop these, and of course, an introduction to leadership.
Here is a little insight into what a weekly session looks like at one of our primary schools, keep an eye out for more on this exciting new program ✨
Busselton Nightfields is a Hit!
If you’re a school student or young person in Busselton and you haven’t been to one of our Nightfields sessions this year, you’re missing out. It is the place to be on a Wednesday afternoon. From the fun and competitive sports games to the delicious food made by the @cwabusseltonbelles at each session, it is such a great way to spend your afternoon after school and even better as the weather warms up.
Thank you to our much appreciated helpers and volunteers who make the event possible including @headspace_aus @lamp_inc_southwest and @cwabusseltonbelles
Celebrating Culture, Connection and Community
Young people from across Walyalup gathered at Fremantle Oval to engage in activities aimed at fostering a deep and lasting appreciation for the world’s oldest continuing culture.
The SMF Culture Through Sport Carnival began with a Welcome to Country led by Robyn Collard and her grandsons. Across the day, participants watched a performance of traditional dances by the Wadumbah Dance Group, ate traditional food, took part in an art and cultural awareness session with Bruce and Linda Loo, and competed in 4 traditional Aboriginal games.
A special thank you to the National Indigenous Australians Agency for their generous contribution, which made this event possible.
We would also like to acknowledge @mayor_hannah_freo, Deputy Mayor of Cockburn Chontelle Stone, @headspacefreo, @palmerston_association, @neami_national, @cityofcockburn, @cityoffremantle, @healthway.wa, and @imagined.futures for their support in bringing this event to fruition.
📹: @rnfstudiios, @huemen_media
Presenting to the Shire President 💭🎤
As part of our Advancing Leaders Program, students were asked to select and research a community-based issue that was meaningful to them.
Our Collie Advancing Leaders students explored the issue of volunteer support at community events and why there is at times, a shortage in this area. Following their research they created a presentation to the Shire President of Collie and delivered this to showcase their findings and propose their solutions. 📈
We are so proud of the students for committing to this project, trying lots of new things such as public speaking and stepping out of their comfort zone in what was a hugely successful final presentation. This was a massive achievement and embodied the idea that our leaders are ‘advancing’ in their skills and capabilities as encouraged from the start of the program. Congratulations to all involved!
Event Time at Gilmore 🙌
Recently our Rising Leaders at Gilmore College delivered their end-of-program event to 60 Year 8 students. They ran a multi-sport carnival including soccer, netball, basketball, and Oz Tag and did an incredible job in leading these sports. They took charge across the day and should be very proud of what they have achieved.
The event module of our Rising Leaders Program asks students to design and lead an entire school event for a year group of their choice. Typically this involves putting together some kind of sports day, carnival, themed class, indoor event or set of challenges and then ensuring all of the fundamentals are in place including promotion material, operations, logistics, run sheets, speakers on the day and more.
It takes a great display of leadership for these sorts of the events to come together and that is exactly what our Gilmore Rising Leaders have done. Congratulations on your event Gilmore! 👏
Visits from the CEO in Narrogin
We’ve had another wonderful year at Narrogin SHS working with Year 10 students to build their confidence, develop connections with one another, and cover some important topics as part of our Rising Leaders Program.
Recently our students had a visit from our CEO Paul, who came to deliver a presentation on Inclusion; speaking to students about all things prejudice, opinions, diversity, how we form our preconceived ideas of others and how we deconstruct these and try to see things differently. This builds well on their prior learnings of perception and seeing the world in different ways, and gives students the tools to be able to navigate this every day.
It was great to watch as some of the big topics we’ve explored this year were epitomised in a personalised presentation by our very own leader and head of the Foundation.
Happy Birthday Alex!
Over the last few years, Alex has been leaving a lasting impact through his strong dedication for empowering youth.
His genuine charisma and down to earth nature allow him to connect effortlessly with everyone. As a proud and committed individual, he serves as an inspiring role model for young people.
They are drawn to his honesty and relatable nature, building strong relationships with him. Alex leads by example, motivating and encouraging youth to overcome obstacles and reach their fullest potential.
We value the work that you do and person you are Alex, keep on inspiring and achieving!
Today is Rennie’s birthday!
It wasn’t long ago that Rennie joined our team but the impact she has had in the Southwest region (and beyond!) has been impressive. Rennie’s ability to identify the needs of those she works with and address them in a kind, caring, and empathetic manner is something we love about working with Rennie. Her connection with the youth in Busselton, Bunbury, Australind, and Collie is evident in the way the young people talk to her and about her, and relate with her. She has a real knack for connecting on an individual level.
Outside of working with youth, Rennie is an admin wizard and takes her ‘off field’ connections to stakeholders, community members, and school staff just as seriously. She is driven and devoted in all that she does. The region wouldn’t be the same without her.
Happy birthday Rennie!
A week in Warburton 📍
It was a privilege to once again collaborate with the @ngaanyatjarracouncil and local stakeholders to deliver an engaging school holiday program for the youth in Warburton. The week consisted of an exciting and diverse range of activities focused on sport, mentoring and connection 🤝.
A special highlight was the On-Country bush trip, where we visited a significant site and participated in traditional cooking.
We value our relationship with the @ngaanyatjarracouncil and appreciate being warmly welcomed into the Warburton community. This program is all about connecting with the youth, creating a positive impact, and having lots of fun during the school holidays! 🤩
ADVANCING LEADERS COLLIE
This year, our Collie Advancing Leaders have reached new heights through exciting challenges and ventures, including their empowerment project.
Here’s a taste of the hard work mixed with fun and engaging group activities that our Advancing Leaders got up to last term. More to come in this space 💭
Stretching Our Skillset
Recently we had the privilege of having Gymnastics WA come to our head office in Fremantle and deliver a professional development session on gymnastics to our staff. The session was fun, upbeat, packed with a variety of gymnastics activities and most importantly, was an opportunity to expand our skillset and ensure we up-skill in areas we can then engage our youth in.
Big thank you to @gymwa for giving up their time to give us the tools to now be able to engage in gym-based activities! 🤸🏽
We’re a finalist in @freochamber 2024 Business Awards! 🤩
We feel proud to be a finalist in the ‘community organisation’ category, along with the other organisations who are making a difference in the community.
A highlight of the work we do in Fremantle is our annual Cultural Games Carnival. This event brings together students from various primary schools within the City of Fremantle, celebrating culture and connection in the heart of Walyalup. #sofreo
Vote for SMF to receive this award through the link in our bio!
Happy Birthday to Toby!
Toby leads and works in the Upper Great Southern Region. His dedication to empowering the youth of Narrogin and Brookton students is an asset to the Foundation’s goal of making a difference in communities we work in. Toby’s dynamic spirit and enthusiasm is part of what makes his work with young people so successful.
As a Program Coordinator, his days are busy working on programs both in preparation and delivery, but Toby also has an eye for all things business and is quick to offer business growth advice particularly in the marketing space. On top of this, Toby works to recruit young talent through the Rams Football Academy through nurturing participants’ growth and helping young people pursue their dreams.
Outside of the day-to-day tasks, Toby adds value to many other areas. Whether he’s leading a workshop or sharing a laugh with colleagues, Toby’s bubbly personality creates a vibrant atmosphere that uplifts those around him. We are lucky to have him on our team. Have a great day, Toby!
