CEO, Donna Bennett, recently held a virtual catch up with Hope Street friend and one of our Ambassadors, Isabel (Izzy) Huntington (AFLW, Greater Western Sydney, Giants).  Izzy was delighted to get an update on the outcomes young people engaged with Hope Street are achieving and Donna congratulated Izzy on continuing to achieve her goals in life, in particular as a professional player in AFLW and her ongoing advocacy for women in AFL.

On hearing that Hope Street continue to engage with community partners to facilitate opportunities with young people who call programs home, Izzy said, “achieving connections and providing opportunities for relationship building and skills development is so important for young people.  Sounds like things are going really well at Hope Street. I love staying in touch and look forward to meeting with some young people in the programs soon.”

Donna congratulated Izzy on her trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Greater Western Sydney Giants - GWS Giants after the 2022 AFLW season.  Izzy is now residing most of the time in Sydney.  Izzy returns to Melbourne regularly to see family, for work and to engage with Hope Street activities.  Unfortunately, Izzy is currently rehabilitating her right knee after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in Round 1 of the 2022 season (Jan 2022).   Donna shared with Izzy that her Hope Street die-hard fans are excited to see her out on the oval soon!! 

Always keen to be engaged in meaningful initiatives, Izzy has started work with AFL Players for Climate Action (AFLP4CA) as the Player Engagement Manager.  Tackling climate change is important to us all and it is terrific to hear of this group working to be part of the solution. After heavy involvement negotiating the recent AFLW collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in June 2022, Izzy was elected to the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) Board. What an inspiring young woman!! Keep your voice loud, Izzy, and being an awesome role model for young people in particular!!

Photography Credit: Katie Hooper, Business Development and Partnerships Manager