Active communities from One Arm Point to Kalumburu
Our Kimberley Active Communities Program (KAC) operates throughout the Kimberley. The program has multiple focuses. Firstly, to encourage young Indigenous people to engage in a healthy and active lifestyle through their regular participation in sport and recreation; secondly to build the capacity of Kimberley communities at an individual and collective level; to deliver sport and recreation themselves.
Streetball programming in Looma Community
Sports participation across the regions
Our Term 1 sport for our KAC delivery was Basketball, specifically streetball which is a modified 3v3 format. Basketball is extremely popular throughout the Kimberley.
Participating communities received between two and six weeks of basketball delivery, as well as a regional carnival.
The term saw three major junior basketball carnivals taking place in Kimberley towns and communities.
West Kimberley Delivery
Out of our Derby Office our Active Communities Coordinator for the region Lachie serviced Mowanjum, Pandanus Park and Looma, finishing the term off with a carnival in Derby.
Street ball delivery in Looma community.
East Kimberley Delivery
One of the most remote communities in the Kimberley, Kalumburu, received 3 days of intensive streetball delivery.
Our Kununurra Active Communities Coordinator Matt took a trip up to Kalumburu and continued to regularly service Glen Hill, Frog Hollow, Warmun and Wyndham.
The term wrapped up with the first ever junior inter-region basketball carnival in Warmun community. With our Halls Creek Office and Kununurra Office linking up to deliver an epic carnival.
Overcoming the challenge of local flooding, Warmun community held a successful term 1 carnival.
Halls Creek Delivery
In Term 1 we welcomed Cordell Green to the Halls Creek Team. He produced a huge number of deliveries at the Halls Creek Recreation Centre in his first term as our Senior Development Officer in the region.
Cordell delivered close to 40 sport sessions at the Halls Creek Recreation Centre in Term 1.
Community Recreation Officers out in force
The start of 2024 has seen a huge push for the recruitment and development of local community members to join the Garnduwa team as Community Recreation Officers (CRO’s).
In the East Kimberley Matt has successfully engaged CRO’s in Wyndham and Warmun, who he will now work with to develop sport in their communities.
“Having local knowledge is very important. CRO’s have that pre-existing relationship with the kids, so there is that trust and respect that comes from that.”
Community Recreation Officers build individual and community capacity to activate communities through sport.
In addition to recruiting recreation officers across the Kimberley, the start of 2024 saw our existing CRO’s regularly activating their communities. With Noonkanbah and One Arm Point seeing weekly programming from their deadly CRO’s.
Health promotion messages safe and research informed
Health promotion is at the core of our KAC program delivery. With the support of Healthway, and their Think Mental Health campaign we were able to deliver health messages on thousands of occasions in term 1.
Our focus is around the positive impact that physical activity, nutrition, and hydration has on our mental and physical wellbeing.
In addition to our staple health messaging, the KAC program also integrates messages and education sessions that are delivered by passionate partner organisations who operate tirelessly across the region and who dedicate themselves to Indigenous health and wellbeing.
Our partner organisations such as the Ord Valley Aboriginal Health Service in Kununurra, or Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation in Halls Creek are regularly invited to our programming to provide culturally safe and research informed education around smoking, alcohol and other drugs and mental health.
Term 2 will see our KAC program deliver Auskick across the Kimberley. We can’t wait to continue to bring sport and recreation to communities and to support them to stay strong, active and healthy!
