A Breath Of Fresh Air

Aah … the serenity! A comment we often found ourselves saying whilst visiting picturesque Gembrook Primary School in the hills of South Eastern Victoria. Swapping the car fumes of the city for the fresh country air was an absolute pleasure for Sports Challenge’s manager Camilla Milburn and coaches Janelle Treeby and Stephen Nicholson.
The children at Gembrook learned so much from the Sports Challenge programs: life skills, leadership and emotional intelligence. Tina Alsop, the school coordinator at Gembrook Primary, noticed how much her students enjoyed the problem solving
activities and how eager they were to share their new skills with their peers. The children thrived in the positive environment provided by Sports Challenge and loved the fact that the coaches came from as far away as WA to visit their little school, nestled in the hills away from the bright lights of Melbourne. A mother commented on her son’s enjoyment of the program: “He has truly been motivated by all the activities you have done during the program and I have seen such an improvement in his confidence at home and with his friends, thank you!”
Janelle and Stephen thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of mentoring the exuberant and energetic children at Gembrook. Their smiles and love for life were infectious and the support from the whole community made the program so much more memorable.
Through Sports Challenge programs such as these in Victoria we aim to reach more students in regional primary schools and to help them realise their full potential and the impact they can have on their communities. “Come back soon” were the cries we heard as we were waved goodbye from the gates of Gembrook Primary, and that’s exactly what we hope to do!