Nine Richmond players will have the unique opportunity to explore the role 
of sport in reconciliation and social change when they depart for an 
inter-cultural exchange to Brazil tomorrow (Wednesday, October 9).

The Reconciliation Exchange project, called ‘Changing the Score’, has been 
developed by RMIT and Bluestone Edge in partnership with Richmond.  It will 
run over eight days and centre on Rio de Janeiro’s ‘favelas’ – a 
highly-disadvantaged area of Brazil.

The favelas are densely-populated slums located within, or on the outskirts 
of Rio, that are challenged by poverty and crime.

Jake King, Alex Rance, Shane Edwards, Reece Conca, Steve Morris, Matt Dea, 
David Astbury, Daniel Jackson and Dylan Grimes will participate in the 
project that focuses specifically on the potential for sport to act as a 
vehicle for social development.

Steven Morris – who won the David Mandie Community Award at the Jack Dyer 
Medal last Monday night -- admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect on the 
trip.

“It is a city that is going to be very unfamiliar and it can be dangerous in 
parts, and there's some uncertainty of what we are going to be confronted 
with,” he said.

“I’m really interested to see how leadership plays a role in their 
communities and the role of sport. Sport can play a huge role in bringing 
people together and giving them a common bond.”

Richmond’s Leadership Development Manager, Wayne Campbell, who also is 
attending the trip with the players, believes the experience will open the 
players’ eyes to a life very different to football.

“It’s an opportunity for our players to experience and learn from different 
cultures and ways of living, and see how the power of sport might build 
connections,” Campbell said.

“We’ll be heading well and truly off the tourist trail. I have no doubt that 
there will be confronting moments. We’ll be visiting places of extreme 
poverty and crime – places that our players have never been exposed to.”

RMIT Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow and Co-Director of Global 
Reconciliation, Dr Elizabeth Kath, said the trip was the next step in a 
series of reconciliation journeys that use sport and other everyday 
activities to build community resilience.

“This visit is a learning exchange, allowing Australian and Brazilian 
participants to share knowledge and experiences that we hope will inform and 
enrich their future work in communities.”

The project group also includes sport-for-development professionals and two 
young men from the Laguntas program, a young indigenous pathways program run 
by Richmond’s Korin Gamadji Institute.

Changing the Score is funded by RMIT University, Bluestone Edge, Richmond 
Football Club, Karoon Gas, Rio Tinto, Costa Foundation, Drapac Group and IBISS.

"Karoon believes that sport is a universal way to promote social inclusion 
in its international areas of operation, and for this reason Karoon is 
delighted to announce its support for the ‘Changing the Score' project. 
Karoon has been active in Brazil since 2007 and initiated support for the 
project to create awareness in Australia of the difficulties being faced in 
the low socio-economic communities of large cities across Brazil," said 
Karoon’s South American Director, Ed Munks.

The trip will take place from October 9-18, with video and written content 
published on richmondfc.com.au throughout its duration.