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Across 10 weeks in Term 4 of 2022, Melbourne United players and coaches partnered with the LifeChanger Foundation to run its school program for Laverton College students from years 8-11.
For each of the first six weeks, students came together with representatives from MU and LifeChanger for a two-hour session, split into a Life Changer workshop and basketball clinic.
Laverton College teacher Joshua Hall praised the program during one of the sessions at Melbourne United’s home of Hoop City Cheltenham for its ability to engage with his students.
“The program helps build their basketball skills, to build their teamwork skills, and to build their communication skills,” he said.
“We’ve seen an academic improvement in regards to effort in the classroom and we’ve seen a bit of a responsibility improvement in regards to participating in their learning.
“The students are building positive relationships with their peers, taking responsibility for their learning and how to manage themselves in challenging situations.”
Across the course of the program, the students participated in different workshops each week, exploring themes of mental health, mindfulness, goal setting, problem-solving, resilience and connection.
This included sessions with United Head Coach Dean Vickerman, who spoke on different themes including the importance of physical and mental health while outlining examples of how to overcome obstacles and make the most of opportunities in their life.
Following the first six weeks of the program, the students became the teachers, running their own basketball clinics and mentoring younger schoolmates over the final four weeks before ultimately finishing with a game day experience at John Cain Arena.
From everyone at Melbourne United, we’d like to thank the Laverton College students who participated in the program as well as the teachers for making the program such a great experience for students, coaches and facilitators.
