The Sea Eagles will be proudly supporting ‘Cultural Choice’ on Friday night in a bid raise awareness and support for the prevention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth suicide.
Quite a few players have had the boots they’ll be wearing against the Dolphins crafted with unique Indigenous art, hand-painted by Indigenous students from the Hunter region.
Jamal Fogarty, Jason Saab, Reuben Garrick, Jake Simpkin and a few others, got to meet the students and were presented with their artwork after Thursday’s captain’s run.
These specially crafted boots will be up for auction after Friday’s game with all funds going to Cultural Choice.
The Boots for Brighter Futures program provides young people with an opportunity to connect with their culture and identity through art, by painting boots specifically for players to wear in the NRL’s Indigenous Round.
Boots for Brighter Futures Coordinator Zoe Khan was on hand at 4 Pines Park on Friday when the students delivered their artwork to the players.
“Our focus is on Indigenous youth and their mental health, mental wellbeing and their mental resilience,” Zoe said.
“It’s not just about them doing artwork, they're connecting to their culture and where they're from.
They get to design these boots and it's amazing that they get to see their artwork on the big stage.
Zoe Khan
“We encourage them to put their own story on the boots, and also something special that the player can connect with as well.”
Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at least three times more likely to die by suicide, than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
Suicide is a tragedy that transcends age, gender and race, however, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, it is a crisis that needs urgent attention.
