A morning of basketball and community with our youth team

“Everyone deserves a space to have fun and be active together where they can socialise with no judgement.”

This is what one young person told us at a recent youth event.  

Our Youth team, with support from our Health Promotion team, recently partnered with Basketball Victoria for a fun morning of basketball and connection to mark IDAHOBIT. 

The priority was giving young people a safe and inclusive way to participate in sport, said cohealth Youth Mental Health Coach Jasmin Langford.

“For many queer young people, they might be playing sport in early childhood and when they get older, they drift away and can’t get back to it. So, we knew there was a need for this type of event.”

The event was built on research our Health Promotion team is doing into the participation barriers young queer people face in sport.  

Our Youth team and Health Promotion team were even able to collaborate in providing shoes and clothes for young people who need them, with a cohealth podiatrist on hand to measure for sizes!

“We did a survey and a lot of young people don’t have the right shoes and clothes to play. Even if they want to participate in sport, it’s not comfortable,” said Jasmin. “So, we thought ‘how can we get them ready for this?’” 

Young people were coached on the day by Leah Swain from Basketball Victoria. We first met Leah when she did a student placement with cohealth’s youth programs, and since then she’s been a wonderful supporter and collaborator.

“Since doing my placement with cohealth I’ve taken up a position as Women and Girls Participation Manager with Basketball Victoria,” said Leah. “I’ve stayed connected to cohealth and every time there’s an opportunity to come and support I take it because I know how important it is to get activities to young people, especially those from marginalised communities.”

Leah supported and encouraged young attendees to have a go, learn new skills and rediscover old ones, making sure inclusion was a central part of the day.

“I believe really strongly in allyship. People should be treated as people.”

The result, says Jasmin, was a wonderful collaboration between cohealth staff and external partners, where the young people could have fun and be themselves. 

“We have so many supportive staff across the organisation who wanted to get involved. It was so nice to see everyone connecting, chatting and participating in their own way. ”

Llewi, a young person who attended the event, reflected on how the space encouraged and supported participants.

“You’re definitely going to build way more confidence by coming here first and being with people who are similar to you and supportive,” he said. 

“Being able to see a space that’s open to everyone can be super encouraging.”