MEDIA RELEASE
SOUTH EAST JUNIORS AND BEEHIVE FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP
The South East Juniors has joined with the Beehive Foundation to tackle youth issues head on in season 2013. The new partnership between the two organisations aims to help prevent and educate about Youth issues such as bullying, depression, self-harm and suicide, by ensuring the clubs focus on making all players feel safe and valued and develop skills that build resilience and self-esteem.
Some of the initiatives planned under this new partnership include:
“Spirit of Football” Themed Round
A new themed round will be launched at the start of Season 2013 across all age levels that will educate, encourage, and highlight good sportsmanship among players and parents. Emphasis will also be played on selected U15/U16/U17 games in which teams will play for the “Beehive Foundation Cup” and a player from each team awarded a “Beehive Foundation Medal” for displaying good sportsmanship.
Support for Clubs to Run Beehive Foundation Programs
The Beehive Foundation can run 3 different programs within clubs to help build resilience and self-esteem, and to help clubs build an inclusive, fair and safe environment.
- The Edge: Based around the concept of “Thinking as a Skill” will develop self-management skills around goal-setting, work ethic, concentration, facing fear, motivation, and character development through tracked practical exercises.
- The Buzz: Aimed at providing parents who run clubs with strategies for understanding and developing the children under their responsibility, and to help build a club culture with strong values that is inclusive and safe.
- The Hive: Simple to run in-club program helps develop off-field leadership skills by encouraging and rewarding players to be involved in the running and development of the club.
South East Juniors will include some of these programs as part of its annual Development Workshops and also will encourage clubs to take up these programs via the Beehive Foundation Club Accreditation program.
Advocacy and Awareness of Youth Issues
The South East Juniors and the Beehive Foundation will work together to promote awareness of youth issues and the importance of fair, safe and inclusive team environments, and together advocate changes to policy at all levels of football. This will be delivered via a continuous stream of communication and events.
South East Juniors Football League General Manager Shaun Connell felt that all junior sporting associations need to take accountability for ensuring that there is a safe environment for kids in sport.
“Children spend quite a lot of time within sporting clubs, and it is our responsibility for making sure every child feels valued and can develop basic life skills within a safe and familiar environment”
“We see this partnership with the Beehive Foundation as a major enabler to driving the right behaviors and culture in our clubs and create the template for similar programs to be implemented across Australia”
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About Beehive Foundation
The Beehive Foundation is new non-for profit organisation established within the City of Casey aimed at implementing structured programs to help our youth in the ages of 11 – 21 by developing coping strategies, and help develop self-esteem & confidence through life skills that focus on work ethic, motivation, and goal setting.
Beehive's primary focus will be on Australia's 3000+ junior sporting organisations - with over 1 million teenagers playing sport, supported by just under 1 million parent helpers. Beehive’s programs give youth the edge they need to meet challenges head on in sport, study, and life in general.
Beehive also aims to build awareness and understanding among parents who run sporting organisations helping them ensure their organisations has the right values and is always fair, inclusive, and safe.
About South East Juniors
South East Juniors provides opportunities for all ages, abilities, cultures and genders to participate in all aspects of Australian Football in Melbourne’s growing outer South Eastern suburbs.
The League provides participation opportunities through playing, umpiring, coaching, volunteering and administration.
24 Clubs | 4700 players | 215 Umpires | 3000+ Volunteers
Last Modified on 09/11/2012 17:07