Netball WA, in conjunction with its subsidiaries Glass Jar Australia and West Coast Fever, is proud to support National Reconciliation Week.
National Reconciliation Week will this year run under the theme of Grounded in Truth, Walk Together with Courage.
Netball WA Chief Executive Officer Simon Taylor said National Reconciliation Week provided opportunities to reflect on the importance of this year’s theme.
“The week allows us to reflect on, and celebrate, the steps we have taken as a community toward reconciliation, while also understanding that there remains work to be done in improving opportunities and outcomes for Indigenous Australians,” Taylor said.
“Netball has long enjoyed a wonderful relationship with Indigenous West Australians, and as the governing body for the sport in our State, we’re committed to our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan and the role it plays in improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation at all levels.”
Netball WA launched its 2018-2019 Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2018, with a vision of having the organisation seen as a leader in driving reconciliation amongst its stakeholders.
Importantly, the RAP is not a stand alone document, with its outcomes embedded into Netball WA’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan and the 2018-2022 High Performance Plan, which were launched alongside the RAP.
Traditional Indigenous initiatives such as the Aboriginal Grassroots Sites program, as well as player pathway and development opportunities including Aboriginal Youth Gala Day and the Aboriginal All Stars Program.
Netball WA is also set to host the annual NAIDOC Netball Carnival in July, believed to be the largest Indigenous sporting carnival in the country, with in excess of 100 teams participating.
An initiative of Netball WA and Glass Jar Australia, Shooting Stars is an educational program that uses netball and other tools as the vehicles to achieve its primary vision of increasing school attendance rates for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls living in WA’s remote communities and regional towns to 80-90%.
The program now engages more than 350 students across eight delivery sites, namely, Halls Creek, Derby, Carnarvon, Leonora, Meekatharra, Mullewa, Wiluna and Narrogin, with an average attendance improvement of 18% across the board, while 60% of participants maintain an average attendance rate of 80% or higher.
The program also receives the backing of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
West Coast Fever are also gearing up for their annual Indigenous Round match, which will this year also celebrate the achievements of Shooting Stars, in Round 8 against the Adelaide Thunderbirds at RAC Arena.
The Club continues to seek to be an awareness and reconciliation leader, having celebrated a dedicated Indigenous Round for the past five years.
Fever players will wear a commemorative Indigenous dress during the game, and will take part in a dress blessing ceremony prior.
