MY NAME is Hajar Al Shimari and I am a 17-year-old student at Pinnacle College in Adelaide. My parents are from Iraq and Kuwait but I was born in Australia.
In 2017 and 2018 I took part in the Power Intercultural Program at the Port Adelaide Football Club and then I also got to do some work experience with the team from Power Community Limited (PCL).
Then Alipate Carlile, who I call Bobby, and who runs the Power Intercultural Program sent me a message about scholarships to attend the FECCA conference in Hobart. FECCA is the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia, which fights for the rights of Multicultural Australians. To get to the conference, you could send a video or a speech to try win a scholarship. I immediately got to work on a video on why I deserved a scholarship and how being involved would benefit me as an individual. I never thought I had a chance of winning because you could enter from all over Australia and so many people would be entering.
After about a month I got a message back saying I got the scholarship, which gave me access to the conference. My parents and family were all positive and supportive and told me to apply but I don’t think they thought I would actually win. They were so shocked to hear I had won. My parents, especially my Mum, cried. She’s normally a pretty emotional person but I think she was really proud.
After going through the Power Intercultural Program my parents have become more open and they were even considering letting me go by myself but in the end my Mum came with me. It was a three-day event from 9-11 October meaning I would lose three days of my school holidays but it was so worth it! There were about 500 people at the conference including politicians so it was pretty big. It was put on to celebrate 40 years of FECCA advocating for multicultural communities across Australia. I was nervous and awkward going over there and being the youngest participant but I decided I had to pull my socks up and go and meet people to make it a better experience.
Former Socceroo Craig Foster speaks at the FECCA conference in Hobart.
One of the people I met and loved speaking with was Craig Foster, who is a former Socceroo and is on SBS as a sport presenter now. I have watched him on TV and seen what he has done but never even thought I’d get a chance to meet him. And there we were discussing our similar passion for sport. I told him about my story and discussed with him the Power Intercultural Program and how it has helped me. He was facilitating a discussion about the power of sport to break down multicultural barriers and he kept mentioning me and talking about my journey. So many people came up to me after he finished to ask me questions. There were Muslim girls asking me how my parents let me participate in the program and play sport.
One of the messages I tried to get across was that while our parents help educate us, we have to help educate them as well. In our home country we aren’t allowed to involve ourselves in sport but we live in Australia and the program wasn’t just about running around kicking balls - it was partly that - but it was more about learning how to accept people from different countries, backgrounds, religions, colours and genders. The program taught me how to play football and also how to be a good human being. It gave me confidence that I can do anything.
The best thing about the conference was that I was sitting with people from different places, backgrounds, religions, and colours yet we all felt so similar. I felt accepted and welcomed even though I basically knew nobody. I met so many people and made so many friends. People offered me jobs and opportunities that I hope to be able to take up once I finish school. One of those opportunities which I will definitely take up is a casual role in my summer school holidays with the community team at the Port Adelaide Football Club.
On the last day I snuck my Mum in. She has never been to a conference before and her English is not the best but she understood everything and she really enjoyed it.
There is no way I can thank Ross Wait from PCL and Bobby for the help they have given me and the confidence they have given me. I will never forget it. They are such beautiful and kind people and they have changed me and my life. They have changed the lives of my family. I can only imagine the number of people they are impacting with their work.
