Volleyball WA is pleased to announce a new partnership with Outside the Locker Room (OTLR) who share our values of improved health and wellbeing in the community.

OTLR was founded in 2015 by Jake Edwards, with the vision to connect lives and communities through conversation. OTLR focuses on providing critical education for mental health and other social issues, while also providing education for communities to become leaders and inclusive for everyone.

OTLR provides education to sporting clubs, schools and workplaces across Australia, looking to show that sport is more than just a game, that in schools the stigma stops here and provide workplaces the space to connect their community through conversation.

Our partnership will kick off with our State Teams. OTLR will be providing our players with two mental skills sessions, the first an introduction to Mental Health which covers topics such as signs and symptoms of mental ill-health, how to start the conversation and how to support someone going through a mental health challenge. They will also be introduced to OTLRs welfare app, containing vital resources as well as being introduced to OTLRs welfare support, provided by Redefine Life Counselling Support.

The second session will be chosen by the teams from a list including Drugs and Alcohol, Gambling, Wellbeing and Lifestyle, Leadership and Culture, Inclusion and Respect, Resilience and Cyberbullying.

This same opportunity is also being offered to our Clubs; Reds Volleyball Association have been early adopters reaching out to get involved immediately.

The partnership enables Volleyball WA an opportunity to offer our clubs and players with some very practical support in an area which can be tricky to approach, and we are looking forward to seeing the partnership grow and our community thrive.

Clubs wanting more information should contact Kirsten, Volleyball WA Club and People Development Coordinator at [email protected]. Alternatively, Clubs can book in their sessions by completing this  Expression of Interest form or contact OTLR WA Program Manager at [email protected] to request more information.