Hoop Dreaming Project

The Hoop Dreaming Project is a support program for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (aged 12-18 years).

The project uses basketball as a tool to deliver and reinforce a positive message of leading healthy, active and crime-free lifestyles.

The focus of the Hoop Dreaming Project is to support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to:

• make smart, goal-oriented choices
• build a sense of community
• develop life-long character building traits such as integrity, honesty and self-respect

The project has expanded to run the Midnight Basketball program in Cairns, Yarrabah and Gordonvale. It also runs special events, such as the 3-on-3 basketball competition where a Hoop Dreaming Team, including Brisbane Broncos' Justin Hodges, competed against the Cairns Marlins.

Success from the Young Indigenous Leaders' Forum

Hoop Dreaming is an initiative of the not-for-profit group Cairns Basketball Incorporated and funded by the National Community Crime Prevention Program. The project is run by a Project Coordinating Committee, chaired by Joel Khalu and Sione Fa'aoso.

Joel and Sione were both participants in Young Indigenous Leaders Forums in Brisbane (Joel in 2005 and Sione in 2006). They used project planning skills gained in the forums to apply to the National Crime Prevention Program to establish the Hoop Dreaming Project. Their funding application was successful and they started the Hoop Dreaming Project in 2007.

More information

Find out more about the Hoop Dreaming project.

Find out how you can participate in the Young Indigenous Leaders' Forum.