The Halberg Trust aims to support all children with a disability if they want to be involved in active leisure or recreation of their choice, alongside their peers in an inclusive environment.
The Trust has several programmes and funds to achieve their objectives, including:
- Sport Opportunity Programme
- Activity Fund
- National Leadership Project
Sport Opportunity Programme
The Sport Opportunity Programme is delivered by Sport Opportunity Advisers within the 17 Regional Sports Trusts located nationwide. The programme is all about encouraging and enabling people with a disability to participate with their peers in an inclusive environment as they develop within a sporting or recreational pathway. The major objective is to provide disabled young people with the skills and confidence for inclusion into sport and active leisure.
No Exceptions Training Programme
The No Exceptions Training (NET) Programme is a SPARC initiative, which is facilitated and delivered by the Halberg Trust through the Sport Opportunity Programme. The Sport Opportunity Adviser in each of the 17 regions is responsible for coordinating the No Exceptions Training. The Training is aimed at school teachers, classroom support staff, sports club coaches, leaders and sport development officers, universities, colleges, senior school students and more. These workshops aim to increase community sport awareness to include people with a disability in active leisure opportunities.
NET Workshops
Module 1 – “Count Me In” – is a general workshop for everyone interested or involved in the provision of sport and active leisure opportunities that include people with a disability.
Module 2 – “Getting Ready for School” – a sport, physical education and disability awareness workshop focusing on the inclusion of young people with a disability into school-based sport and physical activity programmes.
Module 3 – “Opening Doors for People with a Disability” – a practical workshop that assists sport and recreation organisations to develop strategies to attract and retain people with a disability as members.
Module 4 – “Play by the Rules” – a workshop that helps sport and recreation organizations to understand and deal with issues of disability discrimination and meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
Module 5 – “What is Disability Sport?” – a practical workshop that demystifies what disability sport is all about, and covers issues relating to classification and Paralympic sport. This is a feeder workshop for Diability Sport Contact Officers and/or classifiers.
Module 6 – “Inclusive Coaching” – a coach-orientated workshop that enhances current knowledge and promotes the inclusion of athletes with a disability.
Activity Fund
The Halberg Trust Activity Fund provides grants to young people living with a disability who want to be involved in sport and leisure – this can be equipment or lessons (eg. swimming lessons, tennis lessons, customized trikes, trampolines etc.).
The main goal of the Activity Fund is to support activities that are regular, ongoing, build skills and confidence, remove barriers, and are fun. The Activity Fund is available to support the additional costs associated with having a disability (i.e. the costs over and above what a non-disabled child or their parents would be reasonably expected to pay).
National Leadership Project
The National Leadership Project has a target of getting 20 National Sports Organisations (NSOs) and National Recreation Organisations (NROs) engaged in promoting the inclusion of disabled people.
The sports currently within the project are:
Rowing
Basketball
Equestrian
GymSports
Table Tennis
Football
Bowls
Athletics
Swimming
Snowsports
Link to the Halberg Trust website
