The Drug Aware Ignite Basketball program invests in its young people and develops them as leaders. The last three years of efforts has seen participants transition to staff and become youth workers and coaches, looking after their peers on Saturday nights. Previously, we have had fantastic successes with Danikka Calyon, Javeena Miller and Maddison Walsh. With all three having gone through numerous training courses, gradual increased responsibility and shadowing at the session, they graduated to fulltime members of staff and are essential to the smooth running of the initiative.
This year, we have brought aboard an additional three young people who are youth work superstars of the future. Dean Cooper, Brianna Riley and Blake Ward Massey have all stepped up and now contribute to coaching refereeing, youth work and more. Over the next two years, they will be involved in a variety of training and development that enables them to flourish both at the session and in their overall lives. Of the original staff, Danikka now attends Mercedes College from a scholarship gained through the program and its partnership with Hope Community Services, Javeena works as an Aboriginal Liason Officer at a local school and Maddison Walsh has a five day a week apprenticeship with a cattle farm in South WA (and drives 5 hours to keep attending the Saturday program). All three have won awards for their work within Drug Aware Ignite Basketball.
With the same support, we look forward to our new recruits having similar success.
