Swans Onslow ramps up for the new term

With the start of a new term, Swans Onslow have prepared many initiatives to engage with the community in the Pilbara.

Onslow Swans is an important part of the Social Impact Team of the Swan Districts Football Club.

Leading the charge is social impact manager Talya Quinn and the Onslow team of three full timers, one part timer, local casuals including a group of youth mentors. The team works to promote community engagement in this regional area.

Ms Quinn began in this role at the start of 2024 after concluding her time as the manager of the Geraldton Police and Community Youth Centre team.

For Ms Quinn, this move to Onslow was a return as she lived in the community for her childhood and early teen years.

“I always watched what as happening in the community,” Ms Quinn said.

“I wanted to give something back to the place that gave me so much as a child, it is special.”

About the organisation

Swans Onslow offers a range of programs for a variety of age groups, that changes and adapts to the needs of the community.

The early educations program includes sensory imagination and nature play and family literacy enriched caregiving and learning games.

“This structured programming around early education involves family and provides a space for connection,” Ms Quinn said.

“We want to create a space where families can feel at home and belong to a group and feel welcome.”

For middle years, the major program is the afterschool club aimed at supporting families between work and school time Ms Quinn said.

“Young people can engage in social, emotional wellbeing activities, craft and creation, healthy lifestyle and sports.”

The Youth program involves people aged between ten and seventeen, with the exceptions of some activities requiring kids to be aged twelve or higher such as camps.

The Youth program includes the Youth Shed and programs held each day of the week to engage the youth. The activities can range from sports, cooking, exercise, swimming, fishing and life skills.

“We are very adaptive and on the pulse of what’s happening in the community,” Ms Quinn said.

Swans Onslow works to fill and support gaps in the community, for example in the last 12 months, staff have participated in Swim coaching, Kids Alive Do the 5 Water safety, Protective Behaviours Training, Trauma informed care and Practice education, Suicide Prevention Training and Clear the Air Vaping Awareness to name a few.

By upskilling members of the team, staff can support the region, rather than relying on other services to come into the community, which can be limited Ms Quinn said.

Popular recreational activities for those living in the Pilbara includes swimming, fishing and spear fishing.

Swans Onslow brought in an eight-week water safety and awareness program in addition to having marine rescue run a first aid course.

An experienced spear fisherman came in to talk with the Youth and teach them about how to do the activity safely.

These are just a few initiatives Swans Onslow have brought in to help protect the youth, they provide many environmental safety lessons including snake awareness.

Each term the programs are reassessed, with youth participants able to give feedback on what programs they’ve enjoyed and what they’d like to see more of.

“Young people are involved in the whole process, we do a lot of surveying the community which gives us the opportunity to be adaptive,” Ms Quinn said.

“We aim to build connection and positive relationships with children and young people.”

The Swans Onslow principal partner is Chevron Wheatstone Project. Onslow is also supported by the Government of Western Australia Department of Communities, Regional Development Australia, Karratha Toyota, Mineral Resources and the Shire of Ashburton.

 Practical life skills learnt in the program

A big feature of the Onslow programs are to provide youth with the opportunities to learn life skills. On Thursday the activities are centred around life skills.

A standout activity is the youth run pizza parlour where youth invite their family and act as workers.

“The kids take the order and pretend to fulfil the order and serve the family,” Ms Quinn said.

The kids café mimics a coffee van, where youth shed kids learn barista training and food safety certificates.

“It’s empowering for young people to have a say,” Ms Quinn said.

The markets in Onslow was cancelled, but many of the young people had already begun work on their stall item.

“Lots of young people prepared things and we are able to jump in,” said Ms Quinn.

Young people and Swans Onslow are going to run a mini makers market to give young people the opportunity to sell their product and learn these skills that are specific to their interests.

“Lots of young people have their first jobs in a big city and we want to recreate that,” Ms Quinn said.

“It’s so important to give them opportunities and tastes of things to find out what they enjoy.”

Challenges faced in the community

In the town of 800-900 people, the high school is very small.

“Young people coming into high school can be exposed to a lot mor because of small age demographic,” Ms Quinn said.

“They almost grow up faster than they need to.”

“In a larger community around peers of the same age group, young people often don’t connect with sixteen- and eighteen-year-olds when they’re twelve, so it is different.”

“This can be a bit of a challenge for young people at certain developmental age, being exposed to things of an older person.”

“Children in smaller communities often are more independent and aware of their surroundings.”

Swans Onslow runs various initiatives aimed at educating the community on puberty, health and wellbeing, bullying and resilience.

Impact of the programs

Events run by Swans Onslow aim to be inclusive of all community across year groups.

“It is a big age demographic to cover…focused on the whole community,” Ms Quinn said.

“When we develop programs for the kids, we know we are impacting the family as a whole.”

“We speak to parents about challenges and bring in services that can support them, if we support the parent, this flows to the child.”

Ms Quinn has over a decade of experience working with youth in regional communities.

“Kids embrace empowerment and being involved, other opportunities come from that,” Ms Quinn said.

“Anything is possible for them if people believe and they believe in themselves.”

Ms Quinn prioritises building a positive relationship and being non-judgemental if they make mistakes.

“Making mistakes is natural for teenagers, they are at the risk-taking element of their development.”

Ms Quinn prefers to focus on how young people can be encouraged to move forward.

“Teenagers need to know there are people in their corners who are non-bias non-judgemental, but firm in the way of boundaries and there is a level of respect that goes both ways.”

By Ava Rawlings