EQUAL PLAYING FIELD
Benefits
Purpose:
To address generational and school based violence and
abuse, through education, skill building and linkages to
community service providers.
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Young people are exposed to essential respectful
relationship education
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Young people are provided an opportunity to be
exposed to mentors that demonstrate healthy
relationships and interactions.
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They are offered an educational sports program
that is inherently inclusive to all young people
regardless of sporting talent
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Linkages between service providers and support
structures for the school and for young people
Partnership Members:
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Rugby League Against Violence (RLAV)
Relationships Australia NSW (RANSW)
Illawarra Sports High (ISH)
St. George Illawarra Dragons (Dragons)
Lake Illawarra Local Area Command (LILAC)
NRL Development
Wollongong City Council
Next Steps
Context and Goals
The partnership came together to support young people in
Illawarra suburbs with high domestic violence rates, after
seeing the gap in the delivery of respectful relationship
education for young people in year 7 and 8. It is an 8week, mixed gender, rugby league tag competition
integrating respectful relationship education and sport.
The partnership seeks to support the end of generational
violence and protect children from abuse and violence
within the school environment. The content covered
moves through education on violence and abuse, rights
and responsibilities, self-esteem and resilience, empathy
and care-seeking. Our pilot school, Illawarra Sports High, is
within the suburb with the highest domestic violence rates
in the Illawarra and a large Aboriginal student cohort.
RLAV have an evaluation plan for the project,
accompanied by the standard RA NSW evaluation. The
project will then be adapted for use in 2014. A second low
SES school with high Aboriginal and refugee cohorts is
signed on for the second rollout in Term 1, 2014.
Relationships Australia NSW see the potential for the
program to be rolled out utilising their offices around
NSW.
Support from the Partnership Broker
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Instigated partnership
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Pulled together all stakeholder and supporter
groups
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Worked with stakeholders to bring about shared
vision
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Managed competing
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Supported project through critical analysis and
mitigation strategies
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Worked to encourage media coverage
The Partnership’s Approach
In consultation with industry, including Relationships
Australia NSW, Rugby League Against Violence developed
the core program content of the Equal Playing Field
Project. Then through a process of responsive consultation
with the partners, made changes to the delivery mode and
content. All partners strongly believe in the need for this
education for the chosen cohort and are committed to the
pilot and the future of the project in the Illawarra and
beyond.
 This is an innovative community development
initiative, truly integrating sport with respectful
relationship education 
Janine McEvoy – Relationships Australia
TOP TIP
Focus on the partners’ ability to implement the actual
project, not just the importance of the education to the
chosen cohort. As it takes a lot of people on the ground
to make it work, ensure there is appropriate time and
support to find human capital within the partnership.
Partnership Broker services provided by The Smith Family. For more information visit:
www.youth.gov.au/transitions