They had the program, they had some sports people, but they wanted a better way of identifying the youth than just asking class teachers, who tended to select children who were not performing academically. A former head of education at UWA, John Hattie, had developed a self-esteem questionnaire. From this we could identify kids not using their full potential. We came up with a lot of girls who did well in school and were often very bright, but were not happy with their lot. Twenty per cent of the unhappy youth we identified were ones the school had no idea about.
Many athletes come to love the program, often finding inspiration in their own lives.
Fred Murphy, a former West Perth footballer, joined the program three years ago as a shy Aboriginal sportsman. He's so much more self confident. Waveney Seinor, the State netball captain, says she gets a huge amount out of this. She says it's a privilege to be involved. People feel good with this program.