70 First Nations high school students are getting the chance to meet their heroes and walk in their footsteps on the MCG, as part of the AFL’s "dreamtime at the g". It's a reward for their hard work at the Aboriginal AFL Academy where school participation and performance is linked with playing football.
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00:00Ready to go, these First Nations students are about to hit the road to Melbourne.
00:06You know, we're all about at Jindoo providing opportunities and experiences that could potentially be life-changing for these young people.
00:13It's the second year in a row that Year 11 and 12 students from the Jindoo Aboriginal AFL Academy in Adelaide have made the trip to the MCG.
00:21That was probably the first trip that, like, really brought us together, so I'm hoping with the new kids coming this year that it will do that the same this year.
00:27To get on the bus, students need to hit certain standards. Top of the list is ensuring they attend at least 80% of their school classes.
00:35We're constantly reminded by our teachers that, you know, keep doing your work and go to Melbourne, and I guess that's what's built our excitement for this morning. I'm pretty keen to go.
00:44Weekly classes blend football and school and contribute to their South Australian Certificate of Education.
00:50That's probably one of the best parts, actually, seeing all my brothers and sisters here every week, so, you know, that's really good for me.
00:57I just did be able to see them grow as young people and young leaders in the community. Yeah, it's been amazing so far.
01:03Head coach and former AFL player Lindsay Thomas says he enjoys watching the teenagers become leaders.
01:09Past graduates of the program include Isaac Rankin, now at Adelaide, and Tyson Stengel, who plays for Geelong.
01:16It started just over a decade ago with a group of around 30 boys, but expanded six years ago to include girls.
01:23We use sport as the carrot, so to speak, but it's teaching them life skills away from the footy field.
01:30Over the next week, they'll meet some of their heroes. They'll join the iconic Long Walk before touring the MCG and watching the Dreamtime at the G-Game between Essendon and Richmond.
01:41To see their faces when we walked on the MCG was just priceless. You know, some of these kids were just, you know, that shocked about how big the MCG was and that's what it's about.
01:51The week away is not just a reward, it's also a chance to expand horizons.
01:56Yeah, I would love to work at a, yeah, a big footy club would be pretty fun.
02:00Using sport to change young lives.