Through our regional delivery across East Gippsland, we identified a critical gap: homeschooled youth frequently miss out on the structured physical activity, inter-school sports, and regular social recreation that mainstream students easily access. This lack of access limits their opportunities to build physical literacy and connect with peers in a relaxed, community setting.
Believing that every young person deserves a welcoming entry point into sport, our team set out to break down these barriers. To make it happen, we proudly partnered with Bairnsdale Squash and Table Tennis Centre and Headspace to design a dedicated, social-first program that prioritised fun, inclusion, and holistic youth wellbeing.
The Solution: A Social-First, Multi-Sport Approach
At the beginning of Term 2, we mapped out a dynamic 4-week program hosted at the Bairnsdale Squash and Table Tennis Centre. Instead of sticking to just one sport, we focused on multi-sport rotations to keep the energy high and the engagement fresh.
Crucially, we also partnered with Headspace, embedding a dedicated mental health and support focus directly into the sessions to ensure the youth had a safe space to learn about their overall wellbeing.
The Impact & Results over 4 – weeks
Strong Attendance: Averaged 10 to 15 youth participants per session.
Diverse Activities: Youth sampled over 5 different sports, including Pickleball, Table Tennis, Badminton, Racquetball, and Bocce.
Holistic Support: headspace delivered an exceptionally well-received interactive mental health education workshop on the ground.
Community Feedback
The response from the families involved was incredible. Parents deeply appreciated the holistic approach of combining physical activity with mental health support in a low-pressure environment.
“A lot of parents mentioned there just aren’t enough opportunities like this for home-schooled kids to jump into sport in a purely social, low-pressure setting. They kept telling us how huge it was for their kids to have a regular space to get active, build confidence, and just hang out with peers.” — East Gippsland Home School Parents
What’s Next: Expanding in Term 3 or Term 4
The consistent turnout proved there is a massive appetite for targeted home-school sports programs in our region.
While Term 2 was all about broad exposure and social play, we are refining our approach for Term 3 or 4. We are thrilled to announce we will be running a structured program specifically focused on homeschooled youth from East Gippsland, featuring sessions run in direct collaboration with the local Table Tennis, Racquetball, and Squash clubs! This will provide the youth with a fantastic insight into our local sporting landscape and open direct, sustainable pathways into local club sport.
If you have a homeschooled young person in East Gippsland who’d benefit from getting involved, register your interest below.
