WESTERN Bulldog Josh Dunkley says it is great to learn how much the club’s community programs have made an impact on people’s lives in Balllarat.
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Dunkley has started a part-time job within Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, helping to deliver the club’s health, literacy and youth leadership work in the state’s west. Four months in, Dunkley said the experience had already given him a clearer perspective on how sporting clubs could make a real difference off the field.
“As players, we’ve not been involved in these programs a lot...To give back to the community like this makes you feel good as a person,” Dunkley said. “I’ve heard so many people who’ve come from the Sons of the West or Daughters of the West programs who have been through a lot in their lives and they’re doing things that make them smile. Even though you see the (Bulldogs) emblem on their jumpers, it’s more about building their social connections than it is about the footy club.”
Dunkley, who made his AFL debut in 2016, finished a diploma in business management last year and, moving into studying his advanced diploma, said work with the community foundation felt a great fit.
He said right from the moment he arrived, the club made clear it was important to do something outside the football bubble.
Now, Dunkley can hardly wait to help the programs evolve in Ballarat.
He spent time in the Bulldogs’ Mair Street shop on Friday, meeting graduates from Ballarat programs and understanding how each program worked in with key community organisations.
Ballarat is set to host its third year Sons of the West men’s health programs in Wendouree and Sebastopol.
For member Andrew Ottavi, who has been there from the start, the progression means he can apply to become a program leader next year. he urged other men to ease out of their comfort zones and join in.
“Do it, it’s worth it,” Ottavi said. “You do learn a lot, meet a lot of new people and they do push you to your limits.”
Meanwhile, Western Bulldogs Leadership Project will expand to bring youth from across the Moorabool, Pyrenees, Golden Plains and Hepburn shires into Ballarat.
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