Lockdown Legends is an education and wellbeing program we are running in partnership with Kids From The Block (residents and community organisers from the North Melbourne and Flemington housing estates who are coordinating education and wellbeing programs for kids from the flats), for young people ages 11 to 15.

We will be prioritising young people from the flats and from other newly arrived/migrant communities (particularly, South Sudanese communities from the Southeast with whom we are also working closely).

Lockdown Legends is an 8-week program (3 days per week, approx 3 hours each day) which offers homework help/tutoring and other wellbeing/educational initiatives to young people struggling with the stress, isolation and lack of educational support/recreational opportunities available during lockdown.

The situation is particularly difficult for the young people we are working with, because of the additional challenges of having experienced hard lockdown in a housing estate and/or other challenges as a member of a newly arrived community.

We have a dedicated team of project staff and volunteers who will be coordinating homework help as well as three recreational/wellbeing clubs. The recreational/wellbeing activities include: (1) cooking and interviewing family members about the stories behind their favourite traditional dish from their culture, (2) storytelling about themes relevant to mental health, psychological wellbeing and belonging, and (3) other similar activities that foster connection, psychological wellbeing and counter isolation.

We will also be having "Challenges" in which participants are encouraged to create social media, video or digital content (with our supervision/support) for the purposes of: cheering up their friends and family who are also struggling with lockdown, encouraging connectedness within families through stories about food and family recipes, etc. We will be offering a $150 prize per challenge to the winner.