EVERY day activities are being used to build relationships between Swan Hill Specialist School and the local Koori community.
Football, work on a community garden and health checks are just some of the activities to form part of the program.
With sport a common ground for people from all backgrounds, and a community garden already established at the SHSS, the partnership will build interaction between the Koori community and the school.
It began last week with a fun game of football between SHSS and the Clontarf Foundation’s Swan Hill academy, utilising sport as an ice breaker for the students — most of whom had never met each other before.
Victorian Department of Education Koori education support officer Rob Connelly initiated the program, and said it was hoped not only to have young people involved, but also to see elders from the Indigenous community visit the school.
“We are trying to get the Koori community involved in the school,” he said.
“At this stage the relationship is more focused around the individual Koori parents that have their child or children attending the school, so what we want to do is broaden that.”
As well as Clontarf, Mallee District Aboriginal Services, the Swan Hill and Kerang Community Advisory Committee and the local elders group will also be invited to get involved.
Clontarf Foundation operations officer Maurice Day said sport was one way to break cultural barriers.
“It will hopefully help to teach them to respect people for who they are — no matter their religion or race,” Mr Day said.
“They all walked away with the biggest smiles on their dials… I think as with any kids as soon as you get a football out the kids love to get involved.
“I think the next time we go, the [SHSS students] are going to show us one of their games.”
The SHSS students will teach the Clontarf Foundation students one of their favourite sporting pastimes known as ‘ga-ga ball’.
Played in a hexagonal fenced area — or ga-ga pit — it is a variant of dodgeball played with the hands and just one ball.
