Officially opened on the 13th March 2015, the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre (MLLLC) is designed to harness the power of Australian football in the Northern Territory (NT) to give young Indigenous Territorians the same opportunities as their non-Indigenous peers.
The Centre has a focus well beyond football, delivering education programs for Indigenous students from remote areas.
The MLLLC is an AFL initiative designed to improve educational outcomes for remote Indigenous children. Since the establishment of the MLLLC in 2015, more than 1,200 students from 30 communities across the NT have participated in our programs.
Using football as a vehicle, MLLLC’s Make Your Mark and Employment Pathways programs focus on improving school attendance and engagement, student behaviour, completion of secondary education and work readiness.
The Make your Mark Leadership program is targeted to students aged 10 -13 years and encompasses a 15-week community-based leadership program and a one-week residential program at the MLLLC. The program includes AFL themed literacy and numeracy lessons, team building activities, healthy lifestyle education, sport, training and mentoring sessions visits to local boarding schools and much more.
Our Employment Pathways program for students 14- 17 years provides students with an awareness of a diverse range of jobs available to them and the pathways to achieving them. Students visit a range of local employment and training centres, they prepare for and engage in a work experience session at AFLNT and their week is enhanced by AFL leadership, skill development and fitness sessions and use of the MLLLC pool and gym.
The MLLLC works with schools to customise the program to suit individual needs. Our core content is aligned to the National Australian Curriculum.
The program is growing at an extraordinary rate. The MLLLC is committed to continual development and improvement while also expanding our programs to provide more opportunities for young Territorians.
For more information about our programs please see the links below:
MLLLC Make your Mark Leadership Program
MLLLC Employment Pathways Program