NATHAN Krakouer has spent the week travelling around regional South Australia, helping deliver programs to students in remote Aboriginal communities.

Alongside past AFL player Byron ‘Choppy’ Pickett and the Port Adelaide Aboriginal Programs team, the group visited students from Ceduna, Koonibba and Yalata.

After helping deliver the club’s WillPOWER program to kids from Ceduna Area School, Crossways Lutheran School and Koonibba Aboriginal School, the road trip culminated at the annual Spinifex Sports Carnival in Yalata on Thursday.

Krak often tags along on these trips with the Power Aboriginal Programs team – he says he finds taking time out from footy to connect with kids in remote communities incredibly rewarding.

“I love getting out to the lands and meeting the kids – it’s a release for me,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“If I can help deliver some really important messages to these kids while putting a smile on their faces, then that’s a massive win.”

The carnival acts as a reward for good school attendance for students in the area, and is a big event on the school calendar among kids from Yalata, Oak Valley and Tjuntjuntjara.

Krakouer and Choppy helped coordinate a footy game for the students and joined in traditional activities including spear and boomerang throwing.

Both were also a huge hit among students participating the WillPOWER program earlier in the week.

The program is all about encouraging students to tap into their WillPOWER both mentally and physically, using real life experiences to connect with students and engage with them on a variety of topics.

It’s that real-life experience that Krak brings to the table for these kids.

“Being from a small country town in WA, Mount Barker, I think I have good understanding of some of the challenges they might be facing, either now in the future,” he said.

“Sharing my own ups, downs and experiences as a footballer is a great way to connect with these kids.”

The trip is a part of the club’s commitment to providing engagement, connectedness and opportunities to Aboriginal communities through sport.