AFLQ and the Cathy Freeman Foundation team up in support of indigenous youth.
AFL Queensland and the Cathy Freeman Foundation (CFF) have joined forces to support the education of indigenous children.
Founded by Olympic Gold Medallist Cathy Freeman, the CFF aims to bridge the education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and provide pathways to success.
AFLQ ‘s partnership with CFF will hopefully see an increasing number of AFL programs delivered on Palm Island and participation in these programs will be used as an incentive to increase school attendance in line with the aims of both organisations.
Last week Brisbane Lions Triple premiership player Chris Johnson along with AFLQ and CFF staff headed to Palm Island for the organisations’ first joint project, an AFL Indigenous Combine at Bwgcoleman Community School.
The combine provided local youth with an opportunity to work on their football skills and be selected to attend the U15 QLD Kickstart Camp on the Gold Coast. 50 Indigenous youth from across the state will attend the camp from the 5th – 7th March and 25 players will then be selected in the U15 QLD Indigenous Team to participate in the U15 National Kickstart Championships.
Chris Johnson said he was excited about the potential outcomes a partnership between AFLQ and the CFF could bring.
“The AFL Indigenous Combine was a great first step,” said Johnson.
“The CFF Activities Program has significantly increased school attendance through delivering quality Sport and recreation opportunities on the island and we are excited about using AFL as a vehicle for ensuring this continues in the future.
“Increasing school attendance is an integral component of our AFL Indigenous programs and we look forward to partnering with the CFF to assist us in achieving this objective.”
