GingerCloud Foundation's Modified Rugby Program (MRP) - What is it

GingerCloud Foundation’s Modified Rugby Program (MRP) is a specifically designed community and social participation activity. The MRP uses sport to engage neurodiverse young people with Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD and other learning or perceptual disability with their broader community. 

The core purpose of the MRP is to create a community where neurodiverse young people are included, feel safe and secure, are understood, experience success and belong.

This world first community program features person centred design and delivery and has been modified for our neurodiverse young people with consideration of their five senses, their communication, attention and social skills, and proprioceptive and vestibular development.

Through the program,  our neurodiverse young people can experience the sheer thrill of playing rugby, often for the very first time. Participation in the MRP is likely the first time they have been able to play a team sport. At its core, the MRP is about helping neurodiverse young people experience success in line with their own development. The MRP shows everyone what they can do and how much they can achieve when rugby is modified to support their needs. 

A key to the success of the MRP is the Allied Health Framework through which allied health professionals can profile and individually match young people with disability and a PlayerMentor who supports them both on and off the field.

The program embodies the essence of rugby, a sport that embraces inclusion and diversity. The MRP brings families and communities together who, traditionally, would not have the chance to participate in a team sport at their local club.

 

GingerCloud's MRP and other programs support our young people, and their families to reach their key goals:

- To build independance by doing an activity on their own

- To develop teamwork skills for future working or studying opportunities

- To be included in community,social and recreational activities

- To encourage and build positive social skills and friendships that will benefit them long into the future

Another important key to GingerCloud’s MRP success is the inspiring PlayerMentors who support our MRP Players on and off the rugby field. PlayerMentors are young people from local schools and universities that champion disability inclusion. Through GingerCloud’s MRP, they learn valuable disability inclusion leadership, skills that nurture a generation of young people for whom disability is normalised.

This is supported by GingerCloud’s Leadership Program, an online e-learning module course, and supported by GingerCloud’s MRP Ambassadors, Nathan Sharpe, Tim Horan AM, Stephen Moore, and Andrew Ready. Here PlayerMentors are specifically trained to become inclusion leaders of the future. With the support of the whole rugby community, we will achieve GingerCloud’s goal to change the world’s perception of neurodiverse young people one rugby club at a time. To celebrate their abilities not their limitations!