The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have launched their 2016 season by highlighting details of their most comprehensive community programme to date.
Following extensive community consultation the Club will prioritise delivering violence prevention programmes, fostering social inclusion and promoting health and wellness to children and adults in its catchment areas during the year ahead.
Member for Lakemba Jihad Dib, Member for Canterbury Linda Burney, the Mayors of Canterbury, Bankstown, Auburn and Liverpool councils and the Minister for Aging, Minister for Disability Services and Minister for Multiculturalism John Ajaka, who are collaborating with the Bulldogs on various projects, will all be in attendance at tonight’s launch to show their support for the expansion of the Bulldogs community programme.
A ground breaking partnership with Western Sydney University will see Dr Keith Parry independently measure, assess and evaluate the Bulldogs community engagement. WSU and the Bulldogs will also be working together to use their considerable profile in Western Sydney to promote messages of tolerance and harmony.
In addition, the Club has formed partnerships with Canterbury, Bankstown, Auburn and Liverpool City Councils, committing to engage with socially disadvantaged, CALD communities and people with a disability to set positive examples of community harmony and to help build resilience amongst communities.
Work on these partnerships is already underway with the ‘Drop in @ the Doggies’ programme, which sees Belmore Sports Ground transform into a drop-in centre after school, successfully delivering health and wellbeing and violence prevention programs for youth at risk.
An initiative that provides 500 free family memberships for newly arrived migrants and other socially disadvantaged families is also in motion, with councils working with service providers like Mission Australia and Metro Assist to identify families likely to benefit from the sense of belonging and family that a Bulldogs membership brings.
The Club has also forged a relationship with Life Education’s Healthy Harold’s programme which will have a presence at Bulldogs games, provide 5000 workbooks and reach over 70,000 children across schools in Canterbury, Bankstown, Liverpool and Auburn.
In the second year of a three year partnership, White Ribbon Australia will continue to be a priority for the Club. The relationship provides for the award winning Breaking the Silence programme to reach over 5400 students in western Sydney.
Support for the Special Olympics will also continue with the annual mini Olympics at Belmore and encouraging people with disability to increase participation in sport.
“2016 will be a huge year for the Bulldogs in the Community,” said Chief Executive Raelene Castle.
“We’ve undertaken extensive consultation to understand the challenges facing our community and there are some big issues needing to be addressed, particularly in relation to obesity, domestic violence and promoting social inclusion.
“The Bulldogs have a powerful voice, our community programme is a pillar of our strategic plan and we feel a strong obligation to work with the appropriate bodies to deliver positive outcomes for our community.
“White Ribbon Australia, Special Olympics, Life Education and the local councils all do an incredible job influencing their area of concern and we’re really proud to be able to partner them in their work.
“The Bulldogs have got a history of taking corporate responsibility seriously and of players like Hazem El Masri, Andrew Ryan and Trent Hodkinson being recognised for their work in the community.
“We’re committed to taking Bulldogs in the Community to another level in 2016 and I expect it will be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.”
Bulldogs in the Community Key Numbers
- 1664 – Number of hours Bulldogs players and staff will invested directly into the community in 2016
- 1 – Professional sporting organisation in Australia to formally sign a partnership with the world’s largest male lead campaign to end violence against women and children
- 1000 – Teachers to receive professional development training to help deliver respectful relations programs in schools by 2017
- 15K – Students will benefit from becoming White Ribbon Schools and learn about respectful relationships by 2017
- 4.5K – Youth at Risk will attend educational programs at Belmore Sports Ground learning about Violence Prevention, Social Inclusion and Health & Wellness by 2017
- $1.1M – The Bulldogs have donated to charities and not for profit organisations
- 375 – Students will wear new sporting kits across Canterbury, Bankstown, Liverpool and Auburn by 2017
- 500 – Disadvantaged and newly arrived refugee families will experience Bulldogs memberships in 2016
- 70K – In 2016, students from Canterbury, Bankstown, Liverpool and Auburn will directly receive educational programs in schools through our partnership with Life Education NSW
- 60K – In 2016, school aged kids will experience educational programs through the Healthy Harold Mobile Learning Centre at Bulldogs home games
- 10K – School kids will be provided educational lessons on healthy eating and exercise from Bulldogs players.
