Sea Eagles star making a difference to young people’s lives

THE challenges faced by Sea Eagles forward Joel Thompson have not all been on the rugby league field. Now he has taken the experiences and the lessons he has learnt to try and inspire others.

14/8/18 Sea Eagle Joel Thompson on Manly Beach with kids from Royal Far West Childrens home. Picture: Adam Yip / Manly Daily

• Australian rugby’s Mother Teresa

THE challenges faced by Sea Eagles forward Joel Thompson have not all been on the rugby league field.

And now he has taken the experiences and the lessons he has learnt to try and inspire others.

The warhorse backrower’s big passion is the mental health workshops he runs as part of his Mindset Project.

“I go out and share my story and the knowledge and tools and strategies I have picked up along the way to help people strive towards their potential,” Thompson said.

“We all have our challenges. I had mine and I’ve come out the other end of it so I like sharing it with others and inspiring them.

Joel Thompson in action for the Sea Eagles.Picture. Phil Hillyard.

“And they can overcome any adversity and have a crack at life.”

It all started when Thompson was mentoring in juvenile detention centres 10 months ago and snowballed from there.

He also spent time working for the Momentim organisation, travelling to North Queensland with a group of young indigenous men for a camp to promote healthy lifestyle choices, mental health and wellbeing.

Those efforts have resulted in Thompson being nominated for the Ken Stephen Medal, which will be presented at Wednesay night’s Dally M Awards.

The medal, which Thompson won in 2016, recognises the efforts of an NRL player who has not only achieved on the field but has made time off the field for community projects.

Sea Eagle Joel Thompson on Manly Beach with Josh Miller (10) and Tayton Beach from Royal Far West Childrens home. Picture: Adam Yip.

“It’s always an honour to be nominated for that prestigous award,” he said.

“It comes back to the people at the club who help me as well like Kelly (Pethybridge) and also my wife Amy who lets me sacrifice time with my family to do the stuff that I do.”

Thompson said he got as much out of it as the people he reached out to. “I like seeing smiles on kids faces, I like going out there to help others,” he said. “And if I can help improve their life, it’s worth doing.”

It is a path Thompson plans to keep going down. “When I do finish (playing) I am looking forward to doing more of it fulltime,” he said.