Two sessions have already been held, with another four to come, as participants are taught skills in both raffa and volo bocce.
The UCAN2 program differs slightly to a standard bocce session, having been designed to tailor for participants with learning deficiencies such as autism, Asperger syndrome, and various types of dyslexia.
President Laila Favrin said the bocce federation saw an opportunity with the sessions to fill a gap for those unable to register for mainstream community sports, and are also not disabled enough to compete in special Olympics programs.
“I have a sister who is a teacher’s aide for kids with special needs in schools [where they] have NDIS, SDS, and SD programs, and I asked my sister, ‘what happens to the kids who aren’t mainstream, the kids that you support, when they have PE, what happens to them?” Favrin said.
“She said, ‘they get separated’, and I said, ‘what do you mean?’ and she goes, ‘they don't get to do the same sports.’
“So, sitting down with our previous Victorian state coach and my vice-president Vanessa Allegretto, we changed our junior program to tailor the needs for people with mental, social, and learning challenges, and made the actual training and the sport more inclusive.”
The federation has brought the UCAN2 program to regional Victoria after it had vast success in its metro catchment with a pilot.
Favrin said the 12-month participation goal for the pilot was 250, which was immediately surpassed when 1200 people attended the sessions across the first two months.
Word began to spread around to schools about UCAN2, and through a $25,000 grant from the Victorian Government to support the increase of all-abilities participation, the federation has now been able to bring the program to both Kyabram and Tatura.
Bocce players from Kyabram, including some who recently tasted success at the raffa nationals, are assisting the federation’s sports development coach Jules Peronnet at the sessions.
Peronnet is fully trained in working with people of all different abilities.
“We try to propose three to five different exercises, just some activities based on bocce, physical activity and learning different skills,” Peronnet said.
“We have different equipment, different size balls, different colours. We have different equipment to purpose it for everyone.”
The sessions are taking place at the Kyabram Bocce Club over the next four weeks, running from 4.30pm to 6pm each Friday, with the federation having a target of 25 people in attendance.
Entry is free and participants are not required to be a certain age.
The final session on July 17 will form part of a celebration night, where each participant will receive a certificate for their involvement in the UCAN2 program.
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