ON Monday the 31st of August, the Port Adelaide Football Club hosted students and teachers from the Power Intercultural Program for its very first Power Intercultural Leadership Forum and Teacher Development Day.
The day, which was hosted at Adelaide Oval, aimed to provide an opportunity for further education about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, which is a key component of the Power Intercultural Program.
19 teachers and 36 students from various schools across Adelaide took part in the event, which is an extension of the Power Intercultural Program and will be rolled out annually and expanded to incorporate more participants.
The day started with a welcome from the Chair of the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Commission, Mr. Norman Schueler OAM, who spoke about the important role that sport plays in physical and mental health. He was then followed by Erin Cox from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who shared a similar message as a major partner of the event.
It was then onto the main event with the team, made up of Pauly Vandenbergh, Wade Thompson and Braedon Talbot, facilitating an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Awareness session. Students and teachers, who were from a variety of cultural backgrounds and life experiences, were given a deeper understanding of ATSI history, culture and some language in a fun, safe and welcoming environment.
“The students really blew the team away with their knowledge and passion for learning about Aboriginal history and culture. They had a really great base of knowledge and some great interaction throughout the day,” said the club’s Multicultural Programs Manager, Alipate Carlile about the day.
“It was great to see the engagement of both the teachers and students, as they were always reflecting on the similarities between their own cultures or past experiences, which added so much to the forum.
“Pauly, Wade and Braedon were amazing at creating an environment where everyone felt safe and comfortable to ask some hard questions.”
Although the players weren’t able to attend due to the AFL’s strict COVID-19 restrictions, Hamish Hartlett, Cam Sutcliffe and Marty Fredrick insisted on playing their part. Attendees were sent a video message that spoke about mental health, diversity, how the players were coping with isolation, and how important sport is for breaking down barriers and inclusion.
The day concluded with the students heading out to get some sun and play some mini games on the oval, which was a just reward for their efforts throughout the morning.
The Power Intercultural Program is designed to celebrate vibrancy of cultural diversity and expression, promote inclusion and build social cohesion by recognising the positive contribution of different cultures within Australia.
The program is delivered to both male and female secondary school students in Years 10 and 11 from schools across South Australia with large multicultural populations.
Sessions are delivered by current and past Port Adelaide Football Club players as well as female role models and are conducted over the year. Students are also eligible to complete 10 SACE credits for Integrated Learning upon completion of the program.
The club would like to take the opportunity to thank its partners, Council for Australian-Arab relations, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Home Affairs, OTR, the South Australian Department of Education and the AFL for the support of all our Multicultural programs.
