News

Rising from the ASHE

[ The University of Melbourne Voice Vol. 3, No. 5  14 July - 10 August 2008 ]

By Genevieve Costigan

When Doreen Wright saw the benefits her sons were gaining from their involvement in the Academy of Sport, Health and Education (ASHE) in Shepparton she thought she could do with some similar inspiration.

“I was a stay at home mother, bored and needing to do something and I didn’t know how, as an older student, it would fit with me. But it’s done wonders for me, it really gave me the drive to get back into sport, which I love,” Ms Wright said.

Ms Wright enrolled in a Certificate IV in Sport run by ASHE and the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE and now works as a Student Support Officer at ASHE helping female students who are struggling with their study.

ASHE is a collaborative partnership between the University of Melbourne and the Rumbalara Football Netball club in the Goulburn Valley centred in Shepparton. It provides an innovative range of programs to support, encourage and prepare Indigenous students for employment or to undertake further education.

Chris Turner, also a former student and now Student Support Officer, found ASHE gave him a focal point when he arrived in Shepparton from Melbourne in 2005.

“My cousins were coming to ASHE and as I couldn’t find a job I thought I would come for a couple of months,” Chris Turner said. “I ended up doing the certificate in Sports Administration and now I’m working here.”

ASHE programs focus on Indigenous students’ personal needs and provide educational and career support within a trusted, culturally appropriate environment.

“It’s more in depth and personal than just doing a course, you also gain lots of confidence in things such as applying for a job,” Mr Turner said.

Ms Wright believes Indigenous leadership provides significant symbolic and practical influence in the region and wider community.

“When I first moved here from Melbourne I had to adapt to the country lifestyle, to a smaller Indigenous community and a more accessible wider community. The Indigenous and wider community are closer here which breaks down the barrier of racism,” Ms Wright said.

“ASHE plays a big part in bringing the communities together because Indigenous and non-Indigenous students get to know each other and to see how Indigenous people run things, not just in education,” Ms Wright said.

ASHEletics, a name Chris Turner invented, is a carnival of traditional Indigenous games and entertainment devised and organised by the students as part of their studies. This year the games attracted about 270 Indigenous children from six primary schools.

The carnival aims to give the region’s Indigenous youth an understanding of traditional Indigenous games.

Chris Turner and Doreen Wright agree that the highlight of ASHEletics 2008 was watching the children dancing and singing to the music of Indigenous entertainers. “There wasn’t one child left on a seat in the stadium – they were all up and dancing.”

For more information about ASHE www.ashe.com.au