The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are proud to announce the launch of Game-Changers - a unique and authentic educational program designed to equip high school students with essential life skills.
The Bulldogs Game-Changers Program is a community collaboration uniting schools, industry, law enforcement and the spirit of sport to empower students to confidently navigate real-life challenges.
Game-Changers: Inside the Bulldogs' Latest Community Youth Program
As part of the program, students tackle seven core topics: mental health; physical health; financial literacy; safe social media use; road safety, career planning and leadership.
Sessions are held at Belmore Sports Ground weekly and are led by a NESA-accredited teacher, ensuring a quality educational experience, while Bulldogs players, coaches and staff will join sessions to share stories from their own journeys.
All seven courses have been reviewed and endorsed by the NSW Police Force – a huge show of confidence in the program’s integrity and relevance. The Australian Defence Force have also shown support for the program and will contribute to the leadership, physical health and road safety sessions.
Game-Changers Press Conference: CEO Aaron Warburton
Kumho Tyre, Abal Banking and The Butcher Boys have all come on board as proud inaugural partners of the pilot program.
The six schools that have signed up to Game-Changers are Kingsgrove North High School, Holy Spirit Catholic College, Canterbury Girls High School, Bass High School, Strathfield South High School and Punchbowl Boys High School – with the latter recently completing the road safety course.
The program was officially launched at Belmore Sports Ground on Tuesday with Mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown Bilal El-Hayek, Mayor of Strathfield John-Paul Baladi and representatives from the NSW Police and Australian Army in attendance.
Bulldogs CEO Aaron Warburton, General Manager of Football Phil Gould and NRL player Kurtis Morrin – who recently completed his plumbing apprenticeship – were among those that spoke at the event.
CEO Aaron Warburton was thrilled to launch the Game-Changers program, highlighting the program's components and benefits.
"The Bulldogs have always been known as 'The Community Club,' but we actually got back to basics and started really discussing what that meant, what we were trying to achieve, and what the possible outcomes could be.
"We've got a very passionate school network and students who are passionate Bulldogs fans, and for us, it was important to give back and build a program around that connection.
"We have teamed up with six schools, covering six core subjects plus a leadership subject. Upon talking to leaders and stakeholders in our community, we have built this program from the ground up.
"We're looking to have twelve schools on board next year to complement what is already a great syllabus with real-life learnings and a tribe mentality.
When I say a tribe mentality, I'm talking about the core basics of learning and understanding that education isn't just one person teaching from a textbook. It's recognising there are many people of influence—both inside our business and leaders outside our business—who can make a difference for the Game-Changers in our community.
"We're pleased with the support we've had from NSW Police, who have given the tick of approval for all seven subjects, and the Australian Defence Force, who are backing the course. We have a number of businesses who have really resonated with what we are trying to achieve.
"I'd like to thank everybody who has supported this initiative so far, and we couldn't be happier with the launch of the Game-Changers program."
General Manager of Football Phil Gould echoed the sentiments of Aaron Warburton, highlighting the connection between the football program's ethos to that of the Game-Changers Program.
"The National Rugby League and its popularity throughout Australia makes it a perfect platform for community engagement; for governments, corporates and businesspeople to not only engage with their clients and businesspeople but in junior leagues and schools to have an effect of the youth of today and the future of our country tomorrow," he said.
"With the Club in such a multicultural area here and such a big area here, it's extremely important that our community engagement is strong and that we can help people like the police and the armed forces help these kids and their families engage with the community.
Game-Changers Press Conference: Kurtis Morrin
"Part of the mantra that our players have come up in the last few years is that we're building our culture form within to unite and inspire everyone in our community and be a touchpoint to everyone.
"The biggest successes stories that come into our program are those that go on to play the bigger game of life; they go on to become better community members, better parents, better workers and it's some of the disciplines they learn here that let them do that.
This program is especially great because it gives kids the opportunity to not only engage with our coaches and football staff, but it teaches them things they don't get in school, things that come up later in life, and also helps our footballers engage with and see the privilege they have in making a difference.
"The more we can engage with them so they learn that there are people to reach out to for support is extremely important. It's important that our football clubs take on this responsibility and it's a responsibility we take very seriously."
