By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Young people in Casey will be learning about the law through sports sessions under a community legal service program.
The Sporting Change program, with the help of sports stars and sport sessions, has been piloted at Narre Warren South P-12 College to teach students about police powers, employment law, and relationships and the law.
Springvale-Monash Legal Service community development worker Ashleigh Newnham said sport was a proven winner with engaging young people, and shared many parallels with the law.
There are umpires and police, sport tribunals and law, and being part of a sport team and a community.
Not knowing about the legal system was like going onto a football field without knowing the rules or having played before, Ms Newnham said.
“Are you more or less likely to break the rules of the game?
“This is like going out into life, without understanding the different ways in which laws intersect with us all each day.”
Different sports would be used to convey lessons – people can’t carry fake weapons or spray paint cans in public just like there are items like jewellery that you can’t wear on a soccer field.
Being convicted jeopardises your job prospects – just as being suspended on the sports field can affect your employment at a sports club.
Ms Newnham said the program was launched in Casey because of its significant population growth but limited access to justice, particularly for young people.
The municipality also had higher rates of youth unemployment, disengagement with education, housing stress and lower income – which put young people at risk of clashing with the justice system.
She said further locations were being investigated for the program, with a possible roll-out in Pakenham.
The program is supported by Melbourne City soccer club, rugby league club Pakenham Eels, Volleyball Victoria and In2Fitness Gym.
