THE Power Intercultural Program came to a close on Friday with participants taking part in a football carnival in North Adelaide.

While COVID-19 restrictions meant the nine-a-side carnival was later in the year than usual and the winning sides did not get to play off in a Grand Final at Adelaide Oval, the sight of more than 280 students from eleven schools taking to the fields at the Uni Loop was no less welcome.

From various cultural and religious backgrounds, participants had a chance to mingle and learn about each other with sport as the centrepiece.

The carnival was played in good spirits with Underdale High School taking home both the male and female categories.

“There was a fantastic representation throughout the carnival but more so throughout the program itself, because we had a fair few achieve their SACE accreditation,” said Port Adelaide’s Multicultural Programs Manager, Alipate Carlile.

“It was a bit of a challenge this year but we worked pretty closely with the schools and the teachers themselves to make sure they had the ability to take the program online, which has added another element to what we can probably add to the program next year.

“We should be able to have more face time with the kids in the classroom and get to know the kids with a kick and a catch in the school yard to connect with them using AFL in that way.

“It was a different offering this year but we had a lot of wins and a load of opportunities that we can build on.”

The Power Intercultural Program (PIP) is an education-focussed program run by Port Adelaide’s community arm Power Community Limited, which is designed to celebrate the vibrancy of cultural diversity and expression, and promote inclusion and social cohesion by recognising the positive contribution of different cultures within Australia. 

Delivered to students in years 10 and 11 from schools across the state with large multicultural populations, PIP uses current and past Port Adelaide Football Club players and female role models to help students explore their own culture, Indigenous cultures and other cultures within their school community to develop an understanding of the differences and similarities. 

The program has engaged more than 200 ethnic groups, and is integrated within the South Australian Certificate of Education, allowing students to receive credits for their work. 

The program also teaches students about the rules and skills involved in Australian Rules Football, allowing new arrivals and those who may not be as familiar with the game to feel more comfortable in being involved with a very Australian pastime. 

One of the activities during the program was for students to design their own guernseys to best represent the different cultures at their schools and explain their designs, with each school picking a winning design to wear at the carnival.

On the day, Imam Mohamed Elsayed led a prayer for Islamic students in a dedicated prayer space and there was an interactive careers expo featuring eleven organisations from various sectors in the community to provide information about career pathways for participants.

“Offering prayer time and prayer space is part of us trying to be as inclusive of other cultures and religious practices,” Mr Carlile said.

“Our staff love being a part of it because we learn something new about different cultures.

“It’s a small thing we can do to make these communities feel welcome in the program and at the football in general.”

As well as a free lunch, students and their families were invited to stay around for dinner and a family event at the conclusion of the day, which included games and entertainment while the Grand Final of the carnival was being played.

“The research piece done last year by the University of South Australia’s Centre for Islamic Thought and Education found that we had a really positive impact across generations and we wanted to expand on that by getting families to come along and connect better with the Port Adelaide Football Club and football itself,” Mr Carlile said.

“We think the families enjoyed letting their kids run around and enjoy themselves and enjoy a feed and some pretty good standard footy.”

The Port Adelaide Football Club would like to thank the Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Social Services, the South Australian Government – Department for Education, OTR and Herbalife for their support.

To find out more about the program and register your interest in your school being involved in 2021 please contact Alipate Carlile at acarlile@pafc.com.au.