The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation works with the community for the community and delivers services to over 3,500 people across four streams annually:
Health and Wellbeing
At its core, our health and wellbeing pillar aims to empower men and women in the West to lead healthier lives by providing education, physical activity opportunities and a supportive social network through our Sons and Daughters of the West programs, which can annually attract over 1300 participants.
We strive to address the key public health concerns within Australia through the development of health pathways and co-designed content which focus on health promotion and behavioural change.
Youth & Diversity
Within our Youth and Diversity pillars, we strive to provide young people and new migrants to the West with hands on opportunities to become engaged in our community and grow as social leaders.
Dedicated to shaping our future leaders, we support young people to join us on a journey to increase self-awareness, social awareness and ultimately community impact. These programs annually support over 200 young people and draw on their resilience and energy to lead and solve problems within their own community.
For generations, Melbourne’s west has been the first place that hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Australia have called home. Our region has among Australia’s highest rates of citizens born overseas and is the most culturally diverse area in state. People from more than 130 different nations have made their new home in Melbourne’s west. We also have a significant Indigenous population in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, as well as across Western Victoria. We celebrate diversity as an integral part of a united and cohesive community and aim to engage with multicultural, Indigenous and all abilities communities via innovative programs.
Community Advocacy
We believe in, stand for, and work to promote community harmony. We work with the entire community to promote inclusiveness and equality for all, regardless of race, faith, gender or disability. We facilitate a variety of events to raise awareness and educate our community and work closely with the club and partners to deliver special programs:
- -Engaging more than 20,000 community members annually
- Delivering key events within each of our core pillars alongside Victoria University
- -Supporting AFL and AFLW themed rounds such as Indigenous round, Pride round and dedicated rounds that address social issues (e.g. mental health, organ donation)
- -Leveraging VU Whitten Oval as a community hub for diverse and positive community interaction
