Kilkenny, Bellevue Heights, and Blair Athol Primary Schools joined the Islamic College of South Australia at the day which featured traditional Pacific Island dancers and a Halal BBQ lunch.
The students also participated in football games, skills sessions, cultural activities and health workshops.
The gala day concluded a six week introduction program to Australian Rules Football where the children attended AFL clinics that taught them about the game and allowed them to work on their handball, kicking and marking skills.
As part of the program, Power Community Ltd staff and Port Adelaide players visited the schools to provide a cultural awareness presentation which taught the students about multiculturalism and the role of sport in bringing people together.
AFL was used as an example during the cultural awareness presentations to highlight that it doesn’t matter what your background is or where you are from, when you’re on the sporting oval together everybody is equal.
Power ruckman Brent Renouf officially opened the Gala Day, talking about his Maori heritage and how proud he was to see the game of AFL return to New Zealand in 2013 for the first time in over 150 years. He also spoke about the football oval being a place where he could learn to be tolerant of other cultures.
“The most important message I wanted to get across to the kids is that everyone is equal and how important it is to treat each other with respect,” Brent said.
“The kids have been unreal and Wednesday was a great way to conclude the program by hanging out with one another and sharing each other’s cultures and it gave the kids a chance to show off their AFL skills which was great.”
Power Community Ltd Community Development Coordinator, Michelle Cioffi believed the gala day gave the kids a positive introduction to Australian culture.
“Many of the kids are new to Australia and come from a limited English-speaking background, so this program aimed to introduce them to the Australian way of life in a fun way,” Cioffi said.
“Our multicultural player ambassadors have been great because they have had the chance to share their own experiences with the kids and I think they have really enjoyed that.”
“The gala day was a chance for the students to come to Alberton Oval and have a fun day together and share each other’s cultures.”
Power Community Ltd is the community development arm of Port Adelaide Football Club. We would like to thank club sponsor VIP for their support in the delivery of our multicultural programs, and the SANFL who have supported our visits to schools.
