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Ruth, Roving reporter

Nathanael Gilbert - Wyndham Young Achiver of the Year

Congratulations to Nathanael Gilbert, Wyndham's Young Achiever of the Year for 2009!

Nathanael has been recognised for his development of the Street-Ball Basketball program, and for his outstanding contributions to the Wyndham community.

What is Street-Ball?

Street-Ball is a weekly basketball program that provides a fun and safe environment where young people aged 12 - 25 can develop good friendships while improving their basketball skills. The program is free and many of the participants are from Culturally & Linguistically Diverse communities.

Nathanael, 24, says he was inspired to develop the Street-Ball program in order to give youth something to do. With his Personal Trainer and Bachelor of Exercise Science qualifications, Nathanael decided to organise his own basketball program for young people.

His first step was to talk to a youth worker at the Wyndham Youth Resource Centre. The youth worker was able to give Nathanael practical advice and direct him on what to do next. Nathanael wrote up a proposal for his program and sent it to the Werribee Sports and Fitness Centre, where it was approved. Since then, Street-Ball games have been held at the Fitness Centre every Thursday afternoon.

"I talked to people at my local council and at my youth centre. They were very helpful and things just fell into place," he says.

Nathanael began recruiting players by inviting his friends to join. The free program quickly spread by word of mouth. Currently there are about 30 kids who attend the program, with at least 20 coming every week.

Through his Street-Ball program, Nathanael hopes to make a positive impact by encouraging good friendships and mateship between the participants.

"It's a pretty open and casual environment," says Nathanael. "The guys just get together, form teams and play games."

Nathanael also organises other social events for the Street-Ball players, such as having BBQs or simply hanging out.

A positive role model

Nathanael has proven to be a positive role model for the young people of Wyndham and has been recognised for his contributions to the community.

In December 2008 Nathanael received $500 when he was awarded the Community Service, Volunteering and Leadership category of the Mayoral Youth Award. The funding was put towards court-hire fees and the ongoing cost of running the program. Now that Nathanael has also been named the Wyndham Young Achiever of the Year for 2009, he has secured additional funding for the Street-Ball program.

When he is not organising the Street-Ball program, Nathanael volunteers at the Edmund Rice Foundation, providing homework assistance to young people. He also volunteers for youth programs at the Werribee Church of Christ. His volunteer activities are supporting his future goal of working with Wyndham's youth on a full time basis.

Organising and running the weekly Street-Ball program has been "awesome fun," says Nathanael. He also has some good advice based on his own experiences.

"I encourage young people who may be thinking of volunteering or starting a project to give it a go! Talk to people at your local council and at your Youth Resource Centre. Find people who can give you good advice and help you to make it happen."

Anyone who is interested in participating in the weekly Street-Ball Program can contact Nathanael at nmgilbert@hotmail.com or call 0408 575 495.

For more information on the Mayoral Youth Award (open to Wyndham residents only) and the Wyndham Young Achiever of the Year Award, check out the Wyndham YOUTH homepage (new window)

For more information about grants and awards available for young people in your area, check out our Service seeker tool (new window).

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