Our purpose of Swans in Onslow is to empower the lives of children and their families by delivering positive social impact in communities, and providing opportunities for growth and connection. While initially, the VSwans program was centred on its role within the school, the needs of the community have changed and while the school will always be the central part of a small town, we needed to evolve as well. Swans purpose, as an organisation, is to develop people and build community. Football might be in our DNA, but we exist for a deeper purpose. Our team being based in Onslow means that we are a part of the community too, not just a service provider, and recognise the challenges of living remotely, and not having access to services that people might have in the city. The purpose of VSwans in Onslow is to improve the lives of children, young people, and their families, by providing opportunities for growth and connection. While we mostly work closely with the young people of Onslow, we acutely understand the broader impact that we have on the town of Onslow. Our programs not only provide access to opportunity for young people, who otherwise would not have access to them, they also contribute to the family unit by providing support to their parents who do not have access to grandparents or other support while living in Onslow. This has a significant impact on the mental health and social connectivity of the town, which brings people together and keeps people wanting to live in Onslow for longer. Organised sport is an important engagement tool in our programs. Young people who can play sport, know the rules and work as a team find it easier to make friends in a small community like Onslow, and when they do leave Onslow whether that is to boarding school or back to Perth with their family, the skills they have learned will help them adjust and make new friends. Through the initiation of Social Footy in 2021, we have also had the opportunity to engage with a new cohort of people, including young Chevron engineers staying in Onslow, who have had the opportunity to play sport while in Onslow, but also engage with young people. Sport isn’t for everyone though, and we recognise that it can’t be the only tool in our kit. During 2021, we have increased the non-sporting content within our programs and will continue to grow these programs in 2022, and beyond. This includes the arts, life skills, personal development, and support through counselling and mental health training.
