Representatives of the Canberra Raiders, including players Jarrod Croker and Sam Williams and CEO Don Furner, joined Senator Jim Molan and representatives of the Crookwell Dogs and Crookwell Green Devils on Tuesday 24th November to promote the ASPIRE program in Crookwell.
“I think it’s very important to encourage people to talk about resilience, about taking good care of yourself, physically and mentally, and about watching out for each other,” said Council General Manager, Colleen Worthy.
“And it can resonate even more for some people when they hear these things discussed by prominent sportspeople and people with a public profile.”
In the morning the party visited the Council Depot in Crookwell to speak with staff about resilience and looking out for each other before they toured the new Memorial Oval Centre. In the afternoon, the Raiders contingent presented the ASPIRE program to students in Year 5 & 6 at St Mary's Primary School and Crookwell Public School.
The ASPIRE program, developed by former Canberra Raiders captain Alan Tongue, aims to motivate students to take control of their future, helping them to take responsibility for their actions and realise consequences on themselves and those around them. Integrated with the Raiders Foundation, the Program targets primary school students (years five and six), community groups (sporting clubs), and local government to deliver this inclusive, collaborative program to bring children/adults together; building community resilience and a strong sense of community. The underlying fundamental driver for this model is to ensure no one is left behind.
Each session comprises of two parts, with the students working through the theory component in class and then participating in a rigorous practical component. Students have been very positive and engaged in the program on previous school visits by the Raiders.
