A rugby based occupational therapy program designed to help kids become part of a team.
1.
Build confidence
Sense Rugby helps kids develop their confidence and self-esteem and learn how to follow instructions, wait their turn and be part of a group.
2.
Be Active
Sense Rugby allows kids to have a regular activity that can be their own while learning new skills, giving them a great community to belong to for life.
3.
Have fun
Sense Rugby provides a safe and fun environment for kids to make friends and learn how to manage their emotions and improve their ability to self-regulate.
I can not thank you enough for setting up such a great program. Beau absolutely loves it and it has given him so much more confidence in himself and his abilities. […] He is very proud to be a part of it I tell all the therapists we see about it so they can recommend it to others. I love how all the kids can be themselves and be different and still be accepted by each other. Jesse, Carlien and everyone involved, you do an amazing job, thank you!
Seeing our son Brodi tonight made all the problems from this week disappear. We watched him have fun, laugh, be Jamie's little shadow at times, and move out of his own immediate world to support another child. Jamie and Tyne are amazing with these kids! Can't praise this program enough.
I just love seeing all the great work you guys do for the community and humankind!! It takes very special people to have hearts like you have, you are both incredibly gifted humans - and never ever underestimate the difference you make in so many people's lives ... It's a blessed thing!!! So thank you Jesse Reupena Parahi and Carlien Parahi for just being who you are - the world is a much better place because you guys are in it!!! xx
Had the pleasure of witnessing Sense Rugby in action today at St Bernards Primary School. Was absolutely amazing, the kids loved it and got so much out of it. Jesse Reupena Parahi and Carlien Parahi were awesome and we greatly appreciated the time you guys spent with the kids.
This is amazing. Congratulations on this program. I have not seen my boy so happy as he has been in these last few weeks. All he can talk about is what they did at training! Such a positive influence in his life. Thank you!
The pure joy you give my son each week is just amazing! Rugby has been his passion for a long time and now he can be part of a team that makes him feel like a superstar!! Forever grateful!
Come and join us
Explore all of our locations to find a Sense Rugby near you. We’d love for your family to join our community and become part of the team!
Latest News
Team sport comes with so many wonderful benefits for our children, not just during childhood but for years to come! Many of us have some great memories of being part of a team & community bigger than ourselves. There is also no doubt some hard lessons learnt about how to be a good teammate, be a gracious loser or work hard towards a common goal. It’s also often a place of friendship filled with stories of camaraderie and joy.
Groups of kids, sports teams, playgrounds and playdates! It’s all fun and games, right? Well not always. For lots of kids, these environments can bring about significant challenges, anxiety, behavioural changes or avoidance. So what exactly causes or underlies some of these changes that we see?
Towards the end of 2015, my husband and I launched Sense Rugby – a kids programme that adapts rugby groups and uses the sport to work on social skills, attention to task, behaviour, emotional regulation and learning abilities.