Aussie Rules fans hail from every corner of the globe and there’s no place where this is more evident than The Huddle.

Students, tutors and mentors at the Arden Street classroom are brought together for a variety of reasons; to study, participate in sports programs, learn about AFL or simply to discover a sense of community and belonging that they’ve been missing.

For 16-year old Jaylani Aden, Melbourne is a far cry from war-torn Somalia which he fled as a child to live in Brunswick with his aunt and uncle.

Now he spends his days enjoying learning new things at school, especially at lunch time when he kicks the footy around with his year 10 classmates.
"I like the soccer but I like the football as well," Jaylani told Neil McMahon from The Age.

"It took me some time to learn it but I play at school. It's much easier to learn. Someone kicks this way and someone kicks that way."

After school, Jaylani often heads to North Melbourne for one-on-one tutoring and assistance in the ground-breaking study support program.

Volunteer tutors give up their time to help students like Jaylani with a variety of subjects such as English, Maths, Science and IT.

22-year old Victor is one of those tutors. He is a die-hard North supporter of Chinese background who loves helping others with their education.

While taking a gap year from accounting studies at Melbourne University, Victor wanted to give back and offer his knowledge to high school students that could use the support.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to gain some experience and some skills and also to give back to the footy club that I love,” Victor said.
Hamdi Mohamed, 18, is also from Somalia and has only been in Melbourne for three years. She’s not only become a Kangaroos supporter since spending time in The Huddle but she is also grateful for the opportunity to study in a local, friendly environment.

"It's helped with my subjects. They help me a lot," Hamdi said.

Hamdi’s tutor, Lauren Palmer, who is studying to be a secondary school teacher praised The Huddle for offering assistance to young people.

"It's good because it gives the students the chance to do their own work and ask questions when they need to, and they get computers and the resources that they need,” Palmer said.

Since its inception in 2010, The Huddle has grown and developed into a well-established and thriving place for students of any age, religion or cultural background, to believe and belong.

"In our first year we had 12 kids [studying in The Huddle]. This year we've got over 120 and they all come voluntarily. No one makes them come," General Manager of The Huddle Dr Sonja Hood said.

The Huddle now connects more than 5,000 kids a year with the help of more than 60 volunteers.

“Without the footy club, The Huddle is just another community classroom and there are tons of them. But without The Huddle, the footy club is just another footy cub and there are tons of them too. It’s our way of giving back to this local community and also being part of this local community,” Hood said.