Despite enduring their own struggles, local sporting and community clubs in East Gippsland have approached SALT to help them offer much needed support. During the last week of June 2021, SALT will be visiting the region to deliver Mental Health & Wellbeing Sessions and set up Club Well-Being Teams in 16 different clubs. The 90…
The social isolation experienced by so many club members during the COVID-19 lockdowns, has bought into sharp focus the need for sporting clubs to modify how they operate and to make nurturing the mental wellbeing of their members a centrepiece of their operation
Values, standards, ethics, principles – whatever you call them – are central to building a club that is successful not just on the field, but as community centric organisation that is also trusted with helping young people grow and develop.
How to be a Better Sports Club – Cultural change in community sport. A violent off-field altercation between players from two local cricket clubs led both clubs to completely review their values and purpose. They’re still rivals on the field, but co-operate around mental health support programs. Guest: Dave Burt – founder SALT (Sport and…
SALT Founder, Dave Burt speaks on SEN Radio morning show. Dave is interviewed by Julian De Stoop on coping with failure and in particular dealing with missing out on the draft.
It’s important that we all work to empower girls to use their strengths, their skills, their talents to reach their full potential. To encourage them to pursue their goals, follow their dreams and live happy, fulfilled lives. It’s also important that we prepare them for the challenges, and train them to look for alternative routes to success if one pathway gets blocked.
Have you, like I have, been dismayed at the horrendous stories of sexual violence and assault over recent weeks coming from parliament house, Sydney schoolkids and so many other places?
We all know that this behaviour is in no way a reflection of men as a whole, however, fully two thirds of young men in Australia recall being told that a “real man” behaves in a certain way, i.e. self-sufficient, tough, physically attractive, rigidly gendered, risk-taking. 60% feel that society thinks that a bloke that doesn’t fight ‘violence with violence’ is weak.
Think about the men you know. Chances are they are decent, loving, caring people – and that’s what you like about them. However, the traditional gender stereotypes applied to boys and men is more about being tough, self-sufficient, patriarchal, and even alpha. Most Australians acknowledge the harm this stereotyping does, and many are receptive to changing their language, their expectations and their portrayal of men in this way. Not trying to stamp out masculinity, but rather moving away from rigid stereotypes and embracing more diverse forms of masculinity.
For coaches it’s a balancing act
As you wake your club from hibernation and set your systems in place for the upcoming season, it’s important to be aware of the challenges that the various segments of your club will be experiencing. While life is getting back to normal, there will still be invisible mental scars that people are carrying because of the pandemic – particularly in Victoria.
For coaches, their role will be very difficult.
Fundraising is a real necessity for the majority of sporting clubs. Fees, if they are to be kept affordable (and as community sporting organisations, that’s vitally important) only go some of the way to paying for all the expenses incurred in running a club. If you want to fund improvements, then that requires a real effort to build the bank balance you need.
