In school playgrounds across the Tweed, up to 500 children, many of whom have had limited exposure to sport and physical activity, can be seen playing games after school.
These children are taking part in the Australian Government’s Active After-school Communities (AASC) program, a national initiative that has been well supported by Tweed Coast primary schools and after-school care services since it was rolled out across Australia seven years ago.
The program was introduced to address the rising number of children becoming less active and subsequently less healthy. Changes to parents’ work patterns, a mindfulness of the dangers of leaving children to play in unsupervised settings, ‘shrinking’ backyards, computers and game consoles taking more and more of children’s time were all factors contributing to this change in behaviour.
Australian children were not doing what they did decades ago after school. Backyard play was becoming a less common activity. As a result, the AASC program was developed to encourage children to become more active. The program is managed by the Australian Sports Commission and is currently delivering more than 70 different sports and physical activities nationally through a network of regional coordinators located within communities across every state and territory.
On the Tweed, 12 schools and after-school care centres have taken the opportunity to be involved in Term 1, 2012. Teachers and after-school care service staff supervise the after-school sports sessions which are led by trained AASC community coaches, and held on school playgrounds or at local sporting club facilities.
Children are involved in an array of activities. They are given a taste of a variety of sports, giving them the confidence to make an informed choice about a sport they may want to pursue in their local community.
Fingal Head Public School and Mad Sports after-school care service at St Anthony’s Primary School, Kingscliff, will be trying their hands at martial arts this term. Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School’s after-school care service will be offering the more traditional sports of netball and cricket, and Kingscliff Public School will have more than 60 children playing netball.
We are looking to give children within the Tweed Shire a positive introduction to sport and physical activity, showcase sports available to them locally and inspire a lifelong love of sport.
Local primary schools and after-schools care services are welcome to contact me to find out more about the program. Sporting clubs in the Tweed Shire looking to promote their sport to children and their parents are also encouraged to contact me on
0437 700 369 or julia.hunt@ausport.gov.au
To find out more, visit ausport.gov.au/aasc
Schools and after-school care services taking part in the AASC program in the Tweed Shire:
- Capturing Kids’ Minds, St James Primary School, Banora Point
- Centaur Public School
- Fingal Head Public School
- Kingscliff Public School
- Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School’s Out of School Hours Care
- Little Grommets, Banora Public School
- Mad Sports OSHAP, St Anthony’s Primary School, Kingscliff
- Pacific Coast Christian School, Tweed Heads South
- Tweed Heads Kidzcare, PCYC, Tweed Heads
- Tweed Valley College, Murwillumbah
- Tyalgum Public School
- Uki After School Care
