Adelaide’s Jake Soligo, Luke Nankervis and Billy Dowling have undertaken an off-season trip with a difference, with the trio travelling to the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands to help deliver the Adelaide Crows Foundation’s Crows on Country program.
The players, alongside Crows staff including CEO Tim Silvers and Adelaide Crows Foundation educators, visited Amata School and Pipalyatjara School this week.
Crows On Country is a tailored, culturally inclusive education program, which aims to translate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ love and passion for AFL to increase school attendance and literacy in science and mathematics.
In partnership with remote schools, teachers and Aṉangu educators, the Foundation’s successful STEMfooty program has been adapted to ensure it is culturally safe. Crows on Country now also incorporates bilingual resources which is helping to further unlock the potential of Aṉangu students.
Players and staff helped deliver the practical component of the program which included probability, measurement, graphing and reaction testing, and spent time in the broader community learning traditional dance, Pitjantjatjara language and kicking the footy.
On his first visit to the APY Lands, Soligo said he had enjoyed spending time at the schools and being welcomed into the communities.
“The kids are incredibly excited to see us and kick the footy with us, and for us learning their culture has been a good experience,” he said.
“I think the program does a great job of bringing footy and learning together. By having players in the video content, you can see the kids’ faces light up and it captures their attention.”
The visit was the fourth that the Adelaide Crows Foundation has made to the APY Lands this year. It was made possible thanks to the support of the Aṉangu Communities Foundation and Bibbulmun Fund. The Aṉangu Communities Foundation is administered by Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia – operators of Ayers Rock Resort.
Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia CEO Matt Cameron-Smith said for more than two decades the Aṉangu Communities Foundation has been deeply committed to strengthening community capacity across healthcare, education, and economic and social participation for the Traditional Owners of the APY Lands, where we operate at Ayers Rock Resort, Uluru.
“As our partnership with the Adelaide Crows Foundation enters its next phase - expanding the innovative Crows on Country STEM footy program with in-language resources - it’s a privilege to help bring this initiative to our neighbouring communities of Amata and Pipalyatjara,” he said.
“We’re proud to support young people in the APY Lands as they translate their love of footy into a passion for science and maths, opening doors to future career pathways and contributing to the growth of a skilled Indigenous workforce.”
As part of the trip, the group was also invited to Wintjiri Wiru – a multi-award-winning experience which uses 1200 drones dancing in the sky above Uluru and provides a powerful connection to Anangu culture, including traditional Inma (ceremony/song) soundtrack and narration by senior Anangu in the local Pitjantjatjara language.
The experience was co-created with senior Anangu over three years of deep consultation and sets a new industry standard for respecting and remunerating Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property.
As custodians of the land, Anangu hold the Mala story from Kaltukatjara to Uluru.
