In the heart of the Richmond Football Club lies a small classroom with a big story to tell.
Since the start of 2016, students from the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) have attended class every day at Punt Road Oval.
This week, the group of 17 students from regional Victoria, and remote communities in the Northern Territory graduated from MITS, sharing the moment with their new friends – the players, staff and coaches of the Richmond Football Club.
After speeches and farewells, the students were given a specially designed New Era cap with ‘MITS Class of 2016’ embroidered, a Richmond scarf and 2017 Richmond membership to continue their connection with the Club next year.
Throughout the year, while the players trained and prepared daily for their upcoming AFL matches, the students studied and continued their learning in their classroom, often spending their recess or lunch outside watching the players train on the oval.
The players in turn, spent some of their free time running different sessions in their classroom, supporting the students’ learning and development.
If footy schedules aligned, some players even spent their free day on the weekend watching the students play their local junior football match.
All in all, the first year of MITS at the Richmond Football Club has been an experience loved by everyone involved.
The students have met and become friends with some of their footy heroes, and the staff and players have been able to learn and discover more about Indigenous culture.
“The players have been so supportive this year, they’ve been really generous with their time, from having a free kick with the kids at recess and lunch, or they’ve come up to the classroom with the kids,” MITS teacher, Sally Cunningham said.
“Their confidence has grown, their belief in themselves has grown, and I think being surrounded by people who are working hard towards specific goals has really inspired them, and influenced their everyday schooling.”
“It’s just a good experience being around kids who are coming from somewhere completely different, and then going to a school that’s just a completely different world,” Richmond player, Shane Edwards said.
MITS is a new model for education of Indigenous students from remote and regional communities across Australia.
The students live at the MITS campus in Richmond and attend school inside the Richmond Football Club.
MITS provides a warm home-style environment that celebrates culture and understands the challenges of transitioning from remote community to big city.
Next year, the students will continue their studies at MITS' partner colleges around Melbourne and Victoria, and a new group of students from regional and remote communities will commence their journey with MITS and Richmond.
