Community projects aim at making the community a sustainable place for each and every individual. The community project on focus is the Australian Football league that partners with administrators and community volunteers association in support of the differently abled children. AFL program shares a sense of companionship and belonging to the disabled children integrating them and making them feel important as other members of the community (KIM, EHRICH & FICORILL 2012). Similarly, with the help of the Adult Migrant English program, the Australian Football league program for the disabled children have been offering learning, social and recreational opportunities to the children, organizations and family members of the disabled children (SAUNDERS & HICKEY, 2009).
The partnership motivated to the disability program by the Australian Football League. The program is mainly supported by recreational groups and clubs, girl guides or scouts, recreation centers and community, local schools and other sports organizations. The partnership is aiming at developing the differently abled children in realizing their dreams and promoting their personal development. The volunteers and the community partnership assists in creating awareness and spirit that the children are only differently abled and can perform any task as any other ordinary person (WALKER &OXENHAM, 2001). Lastly, the partnership between the different organizations in the implementation has promoted shared resources and ideas, easing the process of program development.
For any community to partner with a given organization in implementation of a project or program, the organization must establish a rapport with the given community. In many cases, the organization may hold community based activities such as outreach and awareness campaign to help gain faith and acquire ideas on the community beliefs, myths and their nature of the partnership (MARTIN, 1998). In addition, as an organization, it calls for holding focused groups discussion with the relevant groups needed for the company. The groups relevant in this program are the parents to the disabled children, community and volunteers. In the case of the AFL football program to the children with disabilities, the Adult Migrant Education programme have to establish a smooth bonding with both the community and the volunteers and other community groups and associations (SAUNDERS & HICKEY, 2009).
As a program, it should initiate by having a smooth entry into the community. Adult Migrant English program offers more than five hundred and ten hours sponsored English languages to humanitarian entrants and qualified migrants to assist them establish and learn English language foundation (MARTIN, 1998). The foundation offers theses free services to help the organization and migrants to confidently and efficiently participate in the Australian society. To establish eligibility to be enrolled into the program, the organization involved in the AFL football program with children with disability must be undertaken a vetting process (KIM, EHRICH & FICORILL 2012). The AMEP must establish whether the individuals to be involved in the programme own an eligible temporary visa or whether they are permanent Australian citizens. To gain this information, the programme must apply research methods such as interviewing various volunteers and community groups. In addition, the programme officials may attend community based activities group organized by the selected groups to help monitor and evaluate their conduct so as to help them be part of the Australian society (MARTIN, 1998).
The philosophy behind partnership in community work lies in the fact that the organization share given goals and have respect for the community culture. Each partnership should have a shared vision and aiming at achieving a given goal. They should be involved in each step from the program planning to implementation. To partner with the AMEP, the tuition must take four to five years; each organization or community group must begin its learning process with the twelve months. Lastly, the registering group must do so within twelve months for the under 18 children like the AFL football program for the disabled or six months for the adults that include parents and volunteer groups. To ensure equality and equity, AMEP have established learning places and centers over 250 locations in the Australian regional and rural areas (KIM, EHRICH & FICORILL 2012). The programme also helps translate information into the client’s language with the convenience. The feature ensures that client gets what he needs, and this promotes the translation into the Australian culture.
For a partnership to result to goal achievement, the employees must be trained and accorded different literacy knowledge and numeracy skills. In addition, each organization seeking to partner in the implementation of any program must have a real knowledge on the resources available, both learning and developmental resources. Furthermore, the AMEP ensures that any individual, group or organization that goes into partnership have a well knowledge on resource mapping and the national rules and regulation (MARTIN, 1998). The model ensures that all the teams that go into collaboration are knowledgeable, have the skills required and are conducting any activity according to the national policies.
The policies put in place for the partnership arrangement are determined and passed by the programme council. One of the policies is that all the organization details regarding the potential partners must be forwarded to the council to help them understand what the organization intends to contribute to the program. Each group must produce a communication officer to ensure information flow in the program (WALKER &OXENHAM, 2001).
Partnering organization culture is reflected in procedures, policies and practices in the organizational management. In addition, the mission and vision of each partnering organization indicates a diverse cultural background. Policies, procedures and organization practices determine the attitudes that the organization will have to goal achievement. For instance, groups that have a culture of leading other organization may have a negative attitude towards a programme, if they are led by another organization (SAUNDERS & HICKEY, 2009). Also, knowledge may lead to a programme being termed as ambiguous if a given group is not placed in the hierarchy position it aimed. For example, in the AFL program, the local school disregarded the policy of AMEP of reading within six months indicating that a lot of time is out into the waste (JACKSON, 1994). Furthermore, the local school partners used the traditional was of teaching their students while the partners in the learning institutes the process of andragogy. The two institution policies and practices lead to a conflicting platform on the way of learning in the learning process (SAUNDERS & HICKEY, 2009).
In collaborative work, differences must be reduced as possible. To overcome differences all the parties involved must avoid making assumption regarding assigned tasks, information should be shared equally between the collaboration organizations. Variously, each group individual should avoid making instant judgment and negative comments before getting official communication for the implementation from the program committee. Lastly, the council should build all the organization strengths and reduce the weakness. Doing so would promote smooth bonding between the collaborating organizations (KIM, EHRICH & FICORILL 2012).
The potential barriers to the partnership will include, communication barriers, Managerial barriers and finally gender boundaries. The partners are from various regions, and this indicates that they will have diversified language backgrounds; this may hinder the communication between the partners. Similarly, the company may be faced with managerial barriers as each organization will like lead and implement activities according to their policy that may be unacceptable according to the program (WALKER & OXENHAM, 2009). The program aims to develop both the males and females in sports, barrier ventures in when some physical activities may not be appropriate for both male and females.
In conclusion, for the AFL football program for the children with disabilities, the strategies appropriate in building the partnerships are selecting the groups that have shared vision and mission, educating the community and involving it in all aspects of the program. Doing so would develop an active partnership with the community and another community groups and associations. Lastly, the committee should ensure transparency and accountability to motivate another team to partner with them in promoting and implementing the program (SAUNDERS & HICKEY, 2009).
References
Jackson, E. (1994). Non-language outcomes in the Adult Migrant English Program. Sydney, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research.
Kim, S., Ehrich, J., & Ficorilli, L. (2012). Perceptions of well-being, language proficiency, and employment: investigation of immigrant adult language learners (AMEP)in Australia. International Journal of Intercultural Relations. 36, 41-52.AFL Schools, & Australian Football League. (2012). AFL Sport Education. [Victoria], AFL Pub.
Martin, S. (1998). New life, new language: the history of the Adult Migrant English Program. Sydney, Published by the National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, on behalf of the Dept. of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Saunders, J. E., Hickey, C. J., & Maschette, W. (2009). People, participation and performance: physical education and sports coaching. Melbourne, Artillery Press.
Walker, R., & Oxenham, D. (2001). A sporting chance: an evaluation of the Rio Tinto AFL Kickstart Program in the Kimberley region. [Perth?], Curtin Indigenous Research Centre, Curtin University of Technology.
