The club meets weekly, with mostly primary-age children gathering after school to do homework and develop their learning under the guidance of a Smith Family-funded tutor and volunteers.
Smith Family Team Leader Travis Barty says the Port Adelaide Football Club provides a unique setting and an alternative to school. He says it helps to inspire children who need extra help with their education and are sometimes difficult to engage in the traditional learning environment.
“It’s so valuable and to have not only this physical space here, but the presence of the Football Club itself and what it means to come to a place like this with elite facilities in the heart of the community in which we work,” Mr Barty said.
“It attracts participants from various schools. If we had it at one school you wouldn’t have kids from other schools coming generally. So this makes it inviting to kids within the whole community, not just one school.”
The Club met for the first time at the beginning of Term 2 2011, replicating a model used across the State and around Australia for several years. The Smith Family believes it provides a supportive learning environment, with children hearing positive messages from a different perspective to those at school and home.
“It provides a role model other than a parent or teacher,” Mr Barty explained.
“They hear it from someone different. You know, if they hear it all day from their teacher, then they go home and hear it from Mum and Dad it doesn’t always mean a lot, as opposed to hearing it from someone else. It’s a really good opportunity to get some of those key (educational) messages across and build their aspirations through the learning club and the tutors.”
The Learning Club runs for around an hour a week, with participants spending 20 minutes on their school-set homework, 20 minutes reading and 20 minutes playing educational games.
The Power Community Classroom is used by a wide range of local not-for-profit organisations. For enquiries about its availability contact the Port Adelaide Football Club on 8447 4044.
