The National Indigenous 3on3 Basketball and Hip Hop Challenge – the Vibe 3on3® – is a traveling sport and music festival that brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people for a fun weekend of basketball, dancing and music. The event encourages sportsmanship, teaches new skills and builds self-esteem, as well as promoting reconciliation at a grassroots level.
Hosted by former Harlem Globetrotter Dwayne Cross and Aboriginal basketball star Claude Williams, the action-packed weekend features a 3on3 basketball round-robin, rapping and break dancing lessons, art workshops, a dance competition and a health expo, all accompanied by a backing track of the latest RnB, hip hop and Indigenous music.
The Vibe 3on3® crew also features Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander break dance champions, hip hop artists and dancers and celebrity role models.
The aim of the event is to promote healthy lifestyles, strengthen communities and boost self-esteem. The Vibe 3on3® also provides an excellent opportunity for health services and related organisations to introduce themselves to the wider community.
The event encourages sportsmanship, teaches new skills and builds self-esteem, as well as promoting reconciliation at a grassroots level. The Vibe 3on3® aims to give an opportunity for every child to shine.
The very first Vibe 3on3® was held in the Western Australian community of Broome in 1999. Since then the event has undergone a continual evolution, incorporating new elements and growing in size. During this time the Vibe 3on3® has travelled to Indigenous communities far and wide, transforming into a major, modern-day Indigenous gathering with a focus on everything that Indigenous people enjoy – from deadly tunes and athletic prowess to story telling, dancing and artistic expression.
Through the medium of friendly basketball games, the event has been used to open a dialogue on other hard-edged issues, such as drugs, alcohol, education and housing.
Working closely with Aboriginal medical services, the event has provided these and other health organisations with a vehicle through which to promote themselves, their services and good health generally.
The Vibe 3on3® has become incredibly important and valuable to each community it has visited, providing valuable opportunities for young people in regional and remote areas. In each of these communities, the Vibe 3on3® has enhanced Indigenous pride through the promotion of Indigenous role models. It has also become a powerful mechanism for strengthening community pride and togetherness through collaboration and participation from all members of the community.
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