Anglesea SLSC dives in for The Huddle

VOLUNTEERS at the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club and the North Melbourne Football Club have joined forces again to give recently arrived Australians their first taste of the surf.

The lifesaving club has been associated with The Huddle – an initiative run by the AFL club’s not-for-profit arm – for several years, and again hosted a busload of migrants and refugees, aged between five and 18, at Anglesea beach on Friday.

Anglesea SLSC director of youth development Naomi Symington said the beach visit was highly popular among The Huddle’s participants.

“We ask them ‘have you been to the beach before?’ and half will put their hand up and say ‘yeah, yeah’, and then we find out the only other time they’ve been to the beach is last year’s Huddle.”

Established in 2010, The Huddle aims to strengthen and enhance young people’s skills, increase their ability to participate in society, while also addressing the causes of disengagement among young people.

It has engaged more than 60,000 youths from people in inner, northern and western Melbourne through a range of initiatives in the areas of sport and recreation, education and careers, digital skills and civic participation.