True Blue Paul Langmack has enlisted the help of another kind of “blue” – members of the NSW Police Force – to help deliver his Changing Rooms mental fitness messages.
Langmack’s growing relationship with the officers from the South-West Metro’s Youth Engagement team led him and his team of counsellors to speak to 400 students at Kingsgrove North High School and it was so successful they are planning more together.
“The idea to team up with the Police and go to local schools came about when I was doing do a walk-through of the shopping-business area with them,” said Langmack who won three Premierships with the Bulldogs as well as playing for NSW and Australia.
“Every few months the Canterbury-Bankstown Chamber of Commerce get the Police to do the walk-through and talk to locals, and as a Bulldogs ambassador they have involved me in this great community initiative.”
Langmack said the large high school gathering was a different audience to his usual smaller numbers of 20 to 30 Junior Rugby League club players that has been the focus of his NSWRL Changing Rooms program.
Already this year, Langmack’s Changing Rooms program has reached 1,380 students and footballers across the state aged from 11 right through to late 20s.
During May he will be visiting another 400 footballers at the Griffith Black & Whites, Kiama Knights and Macarthur Saints Rugby League clubs.
“Rugby League is the conduit of trying to bring the police and the kids closer together – so more trust and respect can develop,” Langmack said.
“So I told the high school kids I wasn’t there to ram knowledge down their throat. I’ve been there when that happened to me as a teenager and I was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner or what I wanted to watch on the TV.
“I try to get the kids to interact and tell me what they want to hear – because the older kids don’t know how to reach out to people.
“Social media and the internet have ruined communication and common sense because everything is on their phone.
“The world has changed so I want to give them ways of reaching out to overcome bullying, or get rid of suicidal thoughts, to help them feel better about themselves.”
Bookings or enquiries about Changing Rooms can be made via plangmack@nswrl.com.au
