RECENTLY, I was invited to speak at the 2019 National Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) Conference along with Ross Wait, the General Manager of Power Community Limited (PCL). The conference was held in Hobart on the 10^th and 11^th of October and presented an opportunity to celebrate 40 years of advocacy by the council for multicultural communities across Australia. PCL is the not-for-profit arm of the Port Adelaide Football Club and among its programs is the Power Intercultural Program, which I am the manager of.

For 40 years this council has fought for the rights of multicultural Australia on a range of topics and challenges that include migration, settlement, inclusion and many more. FECCA is also the pillar to which multicultural communities can turn to in times of need to have a strong and united voice for minority groups when they feel their voice isn’t being heard. 

FECCA provides a strong and united platform for multicultural Australians to join and challenge Government and other policy makers with issues and reforms that directly affect them. It also provides a network that each individual community can come together and share ideas and opinions that spark innovation and action towards a greater Australia. 

The conference had 500 attendees across the two-day event and involved all levels of the community, from the highest level of national government to program facilitators and students. 

Youth formed a big part of the conference and presented a number of challenges. One of the many questions that were asked was how do adults from multicultural communities better connect with the youth so that they don’t lose their cultural identity? The conference gave young people a chance to answer these questions in an open and safe environment that encouraged further conversations. 

In my personal opinion, identity in our youth is one of the more pressing issues that they are facing today. With today’s fast paced society, it is difficult for anyone to stop and reflect on the lessons they will learn on a daily basis and, often, cultural lessons are quick to be passed over. For myself being from a bi-cultural family with my mother, Asenaca, being Fijian and my father, Bill, (Hi Mum and Dad) being Australian and growing up in a largely “Aussie” country town, I didn’t get much “cultural education” nor did I seek it. 

Feeling like I wasn’t “Fijian” enough to be Fijian and not “Aussie” enough to be Australian led me to seek other places I belonged. This led me to sport. 

Nelson Mandela described sport as a “Universal language that has the power to speak with youth like nothing else can”. It has the power to break down social barriers and promote inclusion, equality, not to mention all the physiological, emotional and psychological benefits. It also presents an opportunity for multicultural families to be engaged in their local communities outside of their cultural groups, which is often safe and can sometimes bring its own set of challenges. 

At the conference Ross and I spoke about using sport as a vehicle to deliver messages and how the Port Adelaide Football Club does this through its community arm (PCL), with the focus of our presentation being the Power Intercultural Program. Within the program, we have past and present Port Adelaide Football Club players as well as female role models delivering programs in 11 schools across metropolitan Adelaide. 

Throughout the program we are continually focused on creating an open environment that encourages conversation between students and teachers, and includes their parents. Having the parents’ involvement plays a huge part in the program and is encouraging intergenerational communication in a subtle way. Intergenerational communication, being one of the major concerns to come out of the FECCA Conference, is being encouraged through a sport that isn’t seen as the first choice for multicultural communities. 

This program is a blend of sport and education where the students gain 10 credit towards their South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE). This is a great example of two historically conflicting facets of life coming together to have a positive effect on students. By linking the program to education, it encourages the parents to show greater interest as education is often the top of their priority list, as a lot of the families wouldn’t have come to Australia to try their hand at sport, let alone a sport they most likely have never heard of. 

In 2019, PCL engaged the University of South Australia to do a research piece on the social impact the program is having on the students, their family dynamic and their school community. With only preliminary evidence available at this stage, some of the results that have been shared have really encouraged us that we are on the right path. 

The research is being headed up by Professor Mohamad Abdalla and Dr. Mahmood Nathie and will be completed by the end of October. 

Some of the preliminary findings of the research are that: 

• 86% of participants are very appreciative of the diversity of other team members
• 73% feel a sense of inclusion through the program
• 76% appreciated other cultures during the program
• 72% identified that the program created acceptance of cultural differences
• 64% said the program helped them identify with an Australian identity

These statistics are encouraging to say the least, but have also revealed areas for improvement that we will address. The research has led us to continue to develop and gain a better understanding of what the students need at this stage in their lives but also to always try to put them on a path of lifelong learning about their culture, other cultures and how they can have a positive impact on their communities. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia but in particular the Chair Mary Patetsos and CEO, Mohammad Al-Khafaji for their leadership and guidance for both FECCA and the Port Adelaide Football Club. Both have played an integral part in the Power Intercultural Program since its inception and continue to shine a light for multicultural communities across Australia. 

Oh, and Happy 40^th Birthday!