300 primary school students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds across Melbourne converged on Whitten Oval today to participate in the Football for Harmony Clinic in honour of the AFL Peace Team.

The Clinic, hosted by the Western Bulldogs and the Club’s new Multicultural Partner Integrated, was run by Bulldogs’ players Zephaniah Skinner, Lindsay Gilbee, Josh Hill, Ben Hudson and Sam Reid, community volunteers from the Newport Islamic Society and Bialik College and our special guests the Peace Team, who are currently in Australian to play in the 2011 AFL International Cup.

The Peace Team is made up of Israeli-Palestinian players, utilising AFL as a mechanism to bring Israelis and Palestinians together in harmony to play sport together and promote dialogue. The Peace Team serves as a beacon for cohesion and respect across our community.

Post the Clinic the schoolchildren along with the Peace Team and Bulldogs formed the word PEACE on the Oval - in a tribute to harmony in our community.

The Peace Team’s visit to Whitten Oval was capped off by an engaging once-in-a-lifetime dialogue between Peace Team, Bulldogs’ development players and local youth from Bialik College and Newport Islamic Society.

The Western Bulldogs would like to thank all of the schools and volunteers involved on the day and the Peace Team for visiting Whitten Oval and wish them luck through-out the International Cup.