This project seeks to increase the health and wellbeing and build a sense of community and solidarity among currently incarcerated women. The project will consist of the creation of an 8-week informal netball competition at the Adelaide Women’s Prison. The project will be facilitated by women with lived experience of prison, and will be supported ...
Seeds of Affinity: Pathways for Women
Community Goals: Netball as a catalyst for wellbeing

GOAL
$8,066
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Social inclusion and justice
Target Population
- People impacted by the legal system
- Women and girls

Seeds of Affinity (Seeds) works to reduce disadvantage and social isolation among women who leave prison and are about to embark on a new life. For over 17 years we have delivered a program in the community for women to help them navigate the difficult transition from prison to community. Seeds advocates for a pathway of action.
We work hard to address the trauma, grief and loss, anxiety and depression which can lead to mental health issues. These negative effects are made worse by the prison experience. Seeds encourages pride, hope and opportunity for women. We encourage women to become the best they can be. This is done by creating pathways to education, employment and training. Seeds of Affinity, through its bi-weekly community workshops helps build a sense of community for women who have left prison.
Over the last 5 years, we have also extended our work to incorporate in-prison visits. We have done this in various ways, including writing up and delivering a formal 10-week program titled Nearest Exit, we have run Bra Days, where we take in and fit women for bras we have sourced through donations [they are not supplied by the prison], we have run workshops to support the development of our innovative chatbot project, and we do weekly one on one visits.
The connections we make with women when they are in prison lead to many women attending our community workshops post-release, where we support them manage the difficult transition into the community.
Project Summary
This project seeks to increase the health and wellbeing and build a sense of community and solidarity among currently incarcerated women. The project will consist of the creation of an 8-week informal netball competition at the Adelaide Women’s Prison. The project will be facilitated by women with lived experience of prison, and will be supported by volunteers at Seeds of Affinity who have experience in coaching netball. Participating in team sports can significantly enhance physical health, well-being, and motivation. Social interaction through team sports helps build trust and cooperation among individuals which can lead to various positive outcomes. Netball in particular is a great option because it can be modified for people with minimal levels of fitness – for example walking netball.
The program will provide a structured environment for women to build and maintain social relationships and will be supported by pre-game opportunistic therapeutic and motivational discussions and a shared meal post-game. The connections made through this program are likely to be particularly valuable in the isolating environment of prison, and improve mental health and overall well-being, offering a positive outlet for stress. Playing team sport can increase motivation and adherence, making it more likely that women will continue participating even outside of a structured program.
This program will be run as a trial, and if successful, we will endeavour to secure ongoing funding to develop and expand the program.
Project Outcomes
We anticipate that through their participation, not only will women experience increased physical and mental health, but they will also be better equipped to work as a team, encouraged to be supportive of each other outside of the netball program, develop the 'soft skills' required to study and find work and will be more confident to attend Seeds post-release. This post-release aspect of the program is important because our years of experience tells us that the longer women engage with Seeds post-release, the more likely they are to remain in the community and NOT return to prison. We will measure these outcomes by using a pre-program survey and then an exit survey once the program is complete. Another indicator of the program's success will be their post-release engagement with Seeds. If the women's feedback indicates positive outcomes, we will use this as evidence to seek ongoing funding to continue the program.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $8,066
FUNDING
Funding source | Amount |
---|---|
Funding gap (unconfirmed) | $8,066 |
EXPENSES
Expense item | Amount |
---|---|
10 x netballs @ $50 each | $500 |
4 x sets of netball bibs @ $60 each | $240 |
2 x whistles @ $13 each | $26 |
4 x goalposts @ $170 each | $680 |
2 x coaching boards @ $50 each | $100 |
Catering x $300 x 8 sessions | $2,400 |
travel to prison and back x 8 weeks @ $25 each | $200 |
admin support | $800 |
Wages for 1 x worker @ 4 hours per week for 8 weeks + oncosts @30% | $2,320 |
40 t-shirts [4 x sets of 10 of each colour] | $800 |
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