Hosted in partnership with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, two more forums will be held later in the year.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said: “We want to train a generation of local children and young people to have healthy and safe relationships.
“This is about making sure everyone involved – kids, parents and coaches – play fair and show respect for one another both on and off the field.
“With more women and girls playing sport than ever before, we particularly want to give our clubs the tools they need to provide a welcoming, and positive environment for them.”
The forums provide information and resources on how to establish a respectful culture in sport from an early age.
Inner West Council’s Office of Sport Coordinator Carla Stacey said another aim from the forums was to increase participation in sport especially in girls and women.
“This is a critical area identified by the council, to lift participation rates of some groups that are currently under-represented in organised sport,” she said
The council is also undertaking a suite of measures to educate people on violence and sexual assault prevention.
This includes the Inner West Love Bites program which is a school-based prevention education program aimed at young people aged 14 to 16.
Show respect on, off sporting fields
WITH the goal of creating a culture of respect, more than 60 volunteer sporting club leaders have attended Inner West Council’s Respectful Relationships in Sport forum.