In Principio v18 no1 (2007)

Planning for World Youth Day 2008 Staff and students on all t hree campuses are gearing up for World Youth Day (WYO) 2008. WYO is scheduled to take place in Sydney from 15 - 20 July 2008. It is an important date on t he Catholic Church's international calendar, gathering thousands of young people from around the world to celebrate and learn about the Catholic faith. The event will mark the first visit to Australia of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. It is anticipated that Sydney will receive 300,000 visitors during this time, including 125,000 from overseas. At the last international WYD in Cologne in 2005, 1.2 million people attended the final mass and 7,000 media personnel covered the event. 2 3 Study Abroad students take on Australian Rules Football American students currently participating in the Fremanfle Campus' Study Abroad Program (SAP) are having a 'true blue' Aussie experience - by learni ng how to play Aust ralian Rules footba ll. The 'Yankeroos', as they call themselves, train twice a week at the South Fremantle Football Club's oval. Under the keen eye of one of the South Fremantle coaches, they are taught the rules of football and how to play the game. Local businessman, Mr Tony Fairhead, a great supporter of the SAP, 'kicked off' the initiative to give the students the opportunity to get involved in the community and to give them a sense of belonging to something uniquely Australian. The first team came together in second semester of 2006 and only involved the men in the study abroad program . This year, a women's team has started, which will see them training with the men's team and playing games against the Leeming Football Club. The men's team are preparing for games against Clontarf Aboriginal College. "It's amazing how enthusiastic and dedicated the students are when we introduce them to footy. I'm really impressed with the girls and how many of them have shown a great interest in learning the game. I'm truly hoping we'll keep this program going for years to come," said Mr Fairhead. "It's important the students experience something like this so they can feel they are a part of both the City of Fremantle and the Freo community's passion for football." Last year's Yankeroos captain, Kyle Holloway, said being given a chance to play the Australian sport was a fantastic experience he will never forget. "Footy gave us a unique look into Aussie culture and tradition. Without it we would have been missing an integral part of what it means to be Australian," said Mr Holloway. Students from different Catholic Universities in the United States come to Notre Dame every semester to study and experience Australian life and culture. 1 Alya Sells (Student Association Treasurer) makes it to the top of the crates. Photo courtesy of Dianne Chambers. 2 The 2007 Yankeroos teams at Fremantle Oval. 3 Gracie Jones on the Boston College Campus. 25 • V, -i C 0 m z -i V, m ;o ~ n m V,