High school students with intellectual disability are invited to join a ‘come ‘n’ try’ volleyball program commencing in May.
The South Adelaide Volleyball Club has launched the four-week program to introduce diverse students to the sport of volleyball.
“Many players within the volleyball community in South Australia were introduced to volleyball and found a love for the sport during their high school years,” says Chloe Jarvis, Wellbeing and Inclusion Officer at the South Adelaide Volleyball Club.
“Sport has the power to build important life skills, develop meaningful social connections, and form a positive relationship with being physically active.
“We believe that it’s important that everyone has the opportunity to participate, especially young people and school students.”
The program will run after school for the first four Wednesdays in May at the Reynella East College.
It will be led by club volunteers who have experience and professional backgrounds in disability, psychology and supporting young people with diverse needs. The facilitators have played and coached volleyball for upwards of 15 years.
This is the first time the club will run the program. Input and feedback from families, carers and participants is most welcome.
The club intends to run future inclusion programs and to support the transition of players with disability into state league junior and senior teams to elevate inclusion within the South Australian Volleyball League.
In the longer term, it is keen, based on interest and participation rates, to help develop a volleyball inclusion league to run alongside the state league competition like inclusion leagues in the AFL and netball.
The South Adelaide Volleyball Club has recently been awarded grant funding for other projects including running a mental health first aid course for members, delivering cultural awareness training, supporting a local Indigenous artist to design its club warm-up tops, and providing education to senior players around Auslan to support the inclusion of the deaf community.
Earlier this year, the statewide volleyball association, Volleyball South Australia, formed a partnership with Active Inclusion to sponsor ‘Activating Inclusion’ training for state league clubs to help them better include diverse players.
The program will be held for four Wednesdays – 3, 10, 17 and 24 – during May from 4:15 pm to 5:45 pm in the gym of the Reynella East College (entry via Hewlett Packard Street),
To participate, complete the form at https://form.jotform.com/230891451467865 .
IMAGE: Flying high for the South Adelaide Volleyball Club
Photographer: Tim Joy