Get Involved, Get Inclusive /

HARMONY WEEK

Harmony Week celebrates Australia's cultural diversity. It's about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. The NRL will be hosting Gala days with details below:

Monday 18 - Sunday 24 March 2024

Discover 7 Pillars of Inclusion

Find out about 7 Pillars of inclusion - a new, free way of looking at inclusion that has been developed by Play by the Rules and the Australian Sports Commission that will help you with ideas and actions to support all disadvantaged and diverse groups in league. 

Australia is a vibrant, multicultural and diverse country. The Census shows that Australians come from more than 200 countries, speak over 300 languages at home and belong to more than 100 different religious groups.

Rugby league is proud to represent and be a part of this. But sometimes it can be a tale of missed opportunities. If your club is not a reflection of this diversity you should be asking "why not?" and "how can I become more inclusive of everyone?".

A new way of looking at inclusion

One new way of advancing diversity and inclusion in your club is by using the 7 Pillars of Inclusion resources developed by Play by the Rules/Australian Sports Commission.

The 7 Pillars model is about giving you a ‘helicopter’ view of inclusion which looks at the common elements that contribute to creating inclusive environments that reflect the communities that we live in. The seven pillars are:

• Access
• Attitude
• Choice
• Partnerships
• Communication
• Policy
• Opportunities
  

These pillars can be used as the basis for knowledge and actions across all levels of rugby league, for all disadvantaged and diverse groups, thereby reducing the need for different programs and policies for each.

7Pillars of Inclusion for Rugby League 

7 Pillars will assist you with identifying your strengths and weaknesses around inclusion and diversity and help you along the path to creating a strong, inclusive culture for your club. Read up about each Pillar below and watch videos from the experts.

Introduction

• An outline of what to expect and how to use the 7 Pillars.
  
  

Pillar 1: Access

• In Pillar 1 we consider how to create a welcoming environment and the habits we can develop to create it.
• Listen  to former Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, talk about the importance of physical access and creating accessible environments for people with disability.
  
  

Pillar 2: Attitude

• We look at the important difference between a positive intention and actual change in behaviour.
• Listen to Play by the Rules National Manager, Peter Downs, talk about attitudes.

Pillar 3: Choice

• Greater choice is crucial to making inclusion work and in having an impact for diverse groups.
• Listen to Paralympic champion, Hamish Macdonald, talk about the challenge of making choices relevant to community needs. 

Pillar 4: Partnerships

• Find out how to foster good partnerships with your community.
• Listen to sports consultant, Dr Paul Oliver, talk about the necessary ingredients to establish an effective partnership in sport. 

Pillar 5: Communication

• Good, open transparent communication is critical for successful inclusion at your Club or Association.
• Listen to sports consultant, Debbie Simms, talk about how to achieve inclusive communication and why it is so important.

Pillar 6: Policy

• Find out how to develop effective policies that work for you and your members.
• Listen to expert consultant, Carl Currey, talk about the importance of good policy on inclusive outcomes.

Pillar 7: Opportunities

• We look at the habits that dictate the opportunities that are available for people from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Listen to Pino Migliorino from Cultural Perspectives talks about how sport can attract diverse populations and open up opportunities in the process.

Further Information

Survey your strengths and weaknesses

(coming soon)

After you’ve learned more about 7 Pillars of Inclusion for rugby league, you can Survey your strengths and weaknesses by doing the short, free survey to see how your Club or Association is progressing across the different pillar areas.

Want to know more?

Want to know more about what an inclusive club looks like and how you can make it happen? Then look through our practical inclusion tools and resources to help you achieve your inclusion goals. Also, check out the Play by the Rules resources and education courses that can help make your club safe, fair and inclusive.

Share your stories

Interact with NRL's social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) to share your inclusion stories and best-practice case studies. 

Come and Try Rugby League

For Come and Try opportunities for those from culturally and linguistically diverse communities or those new to the game see our calendar at PlayRugbyLeague. 

Educate yourself

There are plenty of ways to educate yourself and they are all free and easily accessible. Try the Play by the Rules online courses for Discrimination & Harassment or Child Protection, our cultural awareness training, diversity and inclusion training for clubs, or participate in other NRL Respect programs. 

Better choices

The NRL and the NSW Government launched a series of educational modules, known as “Better Choices”, which teach teenagers how to make better decisions in real life situations to avoid serious and lifelong consequences. 

The program includes scenarios based around alcohol misuse, illicit drugs, respectful relationships, filming and distribution of private acts without consent, violence on and off the field, social media and cyber-bullying. It consists of five modules which can be utilised by Junior Rugby League Clubs and youth competitions across NSW. 

To access the modules, click here.