Cockburn Basketball Association (CBA) have been a long standing partner with OTLR since 2020 running sessions across their senior mens, womens and NBL 1 divisions and OTLR are proud to be working with them again in 2023.
CEO, Tyrone Thwaites said ‘CBA partnered with OTLR as our athlete welfare partner because they had a track record of professional and engaging programs that are relatable to the community sport audience. In addition, the diverse scope of the program by OTLR allows the CBA to target issues as they arise in our community. It has been really effective in shining a light on mental health, drugs and alcohol (in particular) for both our seniors and juniors, with overall engagement at an all time high in this space.
In our community, we feel it is our obligation to provide welfare support to our people, and with OTLR continuing to be as professional as they are, it is why we have persisted over the past three years with them as an organisation.’
Working with both OTLR and CBA, is OTLR ambassador and Cockburn Cougars NBL 1 player, Jessie Edwards. Passionate about sharing her lived experience and creating important conversations in the community Jessie has been a valued part of the OTLR team and will be sharing her experiences and educating CBA players in 2023.
‘Working with OTLR has been a fantastic opportunity for me to engage with predominantly young people in the discussion around mental health. Coming from a sports background, it is more important than ever to give athletes the opportunity to explore their ideas around mental health, self care, and resilience.
Despite the strides made in normalising discussions around mental health and other sometimes confronting topics, in my experience as a facilitator many participants are still hesitant to talk about these things openly which is why the work OTLR are doing is so important.
I am proud to be involved in OTLR who are not only doing important work as an organisation, but proud to be associated with the passionate individuals who I work with.’
We look forward to running sessions in 2023 with CBA and continuing to connect, educate and support the CBA community.