Port Adelaide’s not-profit-arm, Power Community Limited, has launched a new program designed to educate students on how to have a positive and safe experience online.
Power UP, the new innovative online education platform, has been developed in partnership with Centacare Catholic Community Services, the eSafety Commissioner, and CatholicCare Northern Territory, and is targeted at students aged between 15-17.
Comprised of ten modules, the program is aligned with the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum and National Education Curriculum Standards and has been carefully designed to leverage the club’s AFL and AFLW stars to deliver important messages on consent, cyberbullying, and balanced social media use.
A priority when developing the program was to ensure it was accessible for remote Northern Territory communities, and subsequently two modules have also been made available in Eastern Arrernte language.
General Manager of Power Community, Jake Battifuoco said the program aims to leverage Port Adelaide players to educate students on an important issue.
“Power UP uses the influence of sport to engage young people and spark important conversations about online safety.” Mr Battifuoco said.
“The program’s point of difference is the ability to leverage the Port Adelaide brand, players, and power of sport.
“Through other program delivery, we’ve seen firsthand the impact we’ve been able to have through utilising these opportunities to drive meaningful change.
“We’re excited that we’ve been able to integrate this into Power UP and use it to effectively educate students on an important issue.”
Director of Centacare Catholic Community Services, Dr Jonathon Louth, said Power UP equips young people with the knowledge and tools to navigate the online world safely and confidently, while supporting teachers with resources that enhance classroom environments.
“This program fosters positive digital behaviours and promotes safer online spaces for future generations,” Dr Louth said.
“The Centre for Social Impact, Flinders University, in partnership with Centacare, engaged in extensive field work and research to inform the content design and development of Power UP modules.
“In these focus groups with young people, we found they want more support when they are dealing with online issues, with clear guidelines about who to approach for help when they are dealing with online safety harms and when to ask for support.”
AM NO MORE founder, Dr Charlie King reflected on the dedicated module in Power UP.
"The NO MORE module in the Power Up eSafety resource is about giving young people the tools to recognise the warning signs in relationships—but just as importantly, to understand what healthy, respectful relationships look like,” Dr King said.
“We want to empower students to take action, to be upstanders, and to know that they have the power to change the ending."
Director of CatholicCare NT, Jayne Lloyd said ensuring the program was accessible for remote communities was critical.
"Ensuring that this resource is accessible to young people in remote communities is a critical step in promoting online safety and respectful relationships for all,” Ms Lloyd said.
“The Eastern Arrernte module, translated by Mia Mulladad from Ltyentye Apurte, means that young people can engage with these important messages in their first language—because true education happens when people can connect to the content in a way that makes sense to them."
The online program is free and is initially available to schools across South Australia and the Northern Territory from today.
