How the ‘beautiful game’ is helping teens connect and find their footing

Using the “beautiful game” as a bridge for connection, soccer and other sports are being used across Victoria to help newly arrived teenagers form friendships and develop a sense of community, while aiming to reduce violence and anti-social behaviour in schools.

In Melbourne’s north, the Kick ‘N’ Mix sports program run through Banksia Gardens Community Services in Broadmeadows invites teens to take part in the structured sports program, where they can meet peers from their area, and build connections and friendships while playing soccer, volleyball and basketball.

Ramadan Aldana, the program’s soccer coach, said between 20 and 40 children take part in the program every week, with many of the participants originally from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Thailand.

“They come back [every week] because they have friends from the same community, they can speak the same language and they join to play,” Aldana said.

“They can come together and play with kids from a similar culture, and they feel like they’re home.”

Aldana said teenagers often told their friends at school about the program, which in turn grows the free sessions and encourages healthy social behaviour.

“There’s absolutely no aggression and everyone feels like they belong,” he said.

The Kick ‘N’ Mix program is one of six community organisations Education Minister Ben Carroll has committed a combined $708,000 of funding to as part of the state government’s Social Cohesion Through Education program.

The funding will continue for the rest of the year and reaches 11,000 students, and aims to stop violence and aggression at schools through mentoring, leadership programs and cultural activities.

The program comes as the Labor government is working to tackle youth crime, including introducing harsher penalties for young offenders and introducing violence reduction units in schools.

The other community organisations to receive funding include Holstep Health/Himilo in West Heidelberg, Uniting Vic.Tas in South Melbourne, Shepparton District Ethnic Council, and The Huddle, which runs programs in North Melbourne and Wyndham.

Each activity – be they peer support groups, resilience workshops, youth networking events or parental engagement sessions – is co-created with participating schools to meet specific needs and ensure the people who know their schools best are providing input.

Aldana said most of the teens involved in the Banksia Gardens-run sports program come straight after school. The soccer pitch, he said, is helping both young men and women find their footing.

“Everyone can come and play, and they tell their friends who come along too,” Aldana said.

Carroll said the government wanted to make sure every student felt safer and better connected at school.

“This program is giving Victorian students the tools to call out hatred when they see it,” he said.

Extending the program was also a win for local identity, Broadmeadows MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward said.

“By continuing to support programs like Banksia Gardens, we’re helping create real connections between our local young people to bring us closer as a community,” she said.

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