After three years of development, the pilot phase of St Kilda’s Point and Be Proud Indigenous Education Program has begun.
Centring around Nicky Winmar’s iconic stance at Victoria Park in 1993, the program aims to educate and raise awareness of the ongoing mental health issues that can result from racism and bullying.
After three years of working on The Ripple Effect Documentary at the @stkildafc We finally were able to take the doco into schools and launch the Point + Be Proud school visits to educate and raise awareness of racism and the impacts it has on a persons wellbeing. pic.twitter.com/yOQt1dHV2M
— Nathan Lovett-Murray (@NATRAT42) November 5, 2021
With testimonies from prominent Indigenous Australian athletes the program is designed for year 7-9 students and will be presented at State Government schools in Victoria’s southern region in this initial phase.
Developed alongside Dr. Peter King, Point and Be Proud employs a healthy youth development framework to introduce key themes such as racism, discrimination & cultural competency, whilst creating a safe space for discussion.
St Kilda’s Indigenous Liaison Officer and former AFL player Nathan Lovett-Murray was instrumental in the establishment of the program and said it was important to educate younger generations on the impacts of racism.
“It is incredibly important to educate students about the impact racism can have on others,” Lovett-Murray told saints.com.au.
“They are the next generation of leaders who will influence others and call out racist behaviours, so it’s important to give them the right tools to do that.”
Lovett-Murray said the use of The Ripple Effect documentary, of which he was a Producer, within the program had profound impact on the students.
“The engagement has been really great to see.”
A hearty congratulations to Nathan Lovett-Murray for being appointed to the Board of @vicsportAU.
— VicHealth (@VicHealth) November 9, 2021
Nathan is executive producer of the powerful Ripple Effect documentary and the Indigenous Liaison Officer with @stkildafc. https://t.co/lFMyDaqcdu pic.twitter.com/uwz45fSRTI
“When we play the documentary, the students are quite tuned in and you can see on their faces they really want to listen and learn from the athletes sharing their stories.
“We then have a discussion with the students after viewing the doco and the conversations are really engaging and you can see the students really care and want to make a difference.”
Thanks to Pepper Money, Headspace and the Department of Education & Training, which contains the Koorie Outcomes Division, Koorie Education Workforce and Victorian Curriculum & Assessment Authority for their support of Point and Be Proud.
To get involved with the program, or organise a session, head to Point and Be Proud to find out more.
To view The Ripple Effect Documentary, head here.
