More than twenty AMES youth students have taken part in a lawn bowls pilot program over the past two weeks at Blackburn Bowls Club.

Now four students say they want to come and play on Saturdays. The club sees it as a way of introducing the sport to new migrant communities in the area.

For the students, there are English conversation opportunities related to the sport and also opportunities to connect with local communities. The club provided members as volunteers to help facilitate the sessions.

AMES Youth Coordinator Joseph Jach said the students had a wonderful time learning about bowls. “Everyone got involved and it got quite competitive,” he said.

“The students really enjoyed trying to master the vagaries of bowls and four of them said they want to come back,” Joseph said.

AMES Youth Program Manager Margot Hennessy said the program was designed to give students an “out of class” experience. “We find that introducing our students to aspects of Australian society and culture enhances and improves learning and settlement outcomes,” she said.

“The programs also give the students the chance to build connections in their communities,” Margot said. “They also get valuable experience in conversational English with ordinary Australians.”

With the help of Blackburn Bowls Club, Bowls Victoria and Bowls Australia, another series of bowls workshops will be held later in the year for newly arrived migrants in Whitehorse.

For more information on this story, contact Margot Hennessy on: 8558 8800.