About the Program
Respect Through Sport is a community-based primary prevention initiative delivered through the Cudal Enable Hub in partnership with NSW Police (Cudal). The program uses structured, non-competitive martial arts activities — primarily adapted judo and jiu-jitsu — as a vehicle for building respectful relationships, challenging harmful gender norms, and developing emotional regulation skills.
The program targets young people, men and boys, parents, and community members in the Cudal and wider Cabonne region. Through facilitated sessions delivered alongside regular Hub activities, participants explore practical concepts including consent and physical boundaries, emotional regulation under pressure, respectful communication and conflict resolution, and what healthy relationships look like in sport and in life.
Respect Through Sport is grounded in evidence-based approaches to the primary prevention of domestic, family and sexual violence, aligned with the NSW Government’s Pathways to Prevention strategy.
Why This Program Exists
Rural and regional communities often have fewer opportunities to engage with prevention programs. Sport is one of the most powerful platforms in regional Australia for reaching people and shifting attitudes. The Cudal Enable Hub is uniquely positioned to deliver this work because martial arts training inherently involves negotiating physical boundaries with a partner, practising controlled responses instead of reactive aggression, building trust and mutual respect in a physical environment, and developing emotional awareness and self-regulation.
These are exactly the skills and values that address the gendered drivers of violence — particularly rigid gender stereotyping, dominant forms of masculinity, and male peer cultures that emphasise aggression and control.
What the Program Includes
For young people and men:
Multi-week facilitated sessions delivered during regular training blocks. Sessions combine adapted martial arts activities with structured discussion and reflection on respectful relationships, consent, emotional regulation, and challenging harmful norms around masculinity and toughness.
For parents and community members:
Short workshops exploring how language, behaviour, and emotional responses influence young people and community culture. These sessions help parents understand the role they play in modelling respectful relationships.
For the Hub and its community partners:
A review of Hub policies, codes of conduct, and operational practices to ensure they explicitly address the drivers of violence and promote safe, respectful, and inclusive environments.
Community Partnership
Respect Through Sport is delivered in collaboration with NSW Police (Cudal), strengthening the connection between the Hub and local services that support community safety. This partnership provides a trusted referral pathway and reinforces the message that preventing violence is a shared community responsibility.
The program also draws on the Hub’s existing relationships with local schools, community organisations, and families in the Cabonne region.
Who It’s For
- Young people participating in Hub programs
- Men and boys in the Cudal and wider community
- Parents and carers
- Community members seeking to build skills in respectful relationships and emotional regulation
What Participants Gain
- Practical skills in emotional regulation, de-escalation, and calm responses under pressure
- Understanding of consent and physical boundaries through hands-on movement activities
- Awareness of how rigid gender norms and harmful attitudes contribute to violence
- Confidence to challenge disrespectful behaviour in sporting and community settings
- Connection to local support services and referral pathways
How Sessions Are Delivered
Sessions are delivered in the Hub’s existing training space in a calm, structured, and supportive environment. Activities are adapted to suit different abilities, comfort levels, and experience. The program is non-competitive and participation-focused.
Prevention content is woven into physical activities rather than delivered as standalone lectures — participants learn by doing, reflecting, and practising.
Alignment
Respect Through Sport is aligned with the NSW Government’s Pathways to Prevention: NSW Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence 2024–2028 and specifically addresses:
- Driver 3: Rigid gender stereotyping and dominant forms of masculinity
- Driver 4: Male peer relations and cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control
The program also contributes to Driver 1 (condoning of violence) and Driver 2 (men’s control of decision-making) through its focus on equitable participation, shared decision-making in training, and challenging attitudes that excuse or normalise violence.
Important Note
Respect Through Sport is delivered as a skill-building and participation activity within a primary prevention framework. It is not a clinical, therapeutic, or crisis intervention service. Participants who may need support are connected with appropriate local services.