The Carlton Football Club was proud to today launch its 2025 Road to Respect program in a big way, hosting the first ever Back to School Day at IKON Park.
Converting the IKON Park indoor training field into a classroom, the Blues hosted around 50 students from Carlton Gardens Primary School and Macleod College, with these students the first to experience the refreshed new program alongside AFL players Marc Pittonet, Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman and Sam Walsh.
The Road to Respect program is a free online program for primary school students from Grades 3-6 and is centred around educating key topics in the latest RRRR curriculum (Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships).
As part of Back to School Day, the students all received a Road to Respect backpack that they filled up with special Respect-themed items, emulating the learning experience students will have in the new digital platform, filling their backpack with new skills and knowledge they gain along the way.
The day was also made possible by the Club’s member partner Bupa, which have again committed to being a Gold partner of the program this year, after single-handedly donating a record $100,000 for the Road to Respect program last year.
Today also marked the launch of the Club’s six-week campaign, culminating in this year’s AFL Carlton Respects game against Melbourne in Round 19 on Saturday 19 July.
Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet was part of the cohort today, surrounded by his new classmates, to celebrate the re-launch of the Club’s Carlton Respects initiative; Road to Respect.
“It means so much to us as a football club to be able to be at the forefront of taking education around respectful relationships out to classrooms all across Victoria, as well as interstate,” Pittonet said.
“To be able to put on an experience like today, where we bring the classroom to IKON Park, is really symbolic of just how important Carlton Respects and our pursuit of gender equality is to the fabric of our football club.
“It has been great to work alongside these kids today and see first-hand how much fun they have participating in respect-based activities while at the same time taking meaningful lessons with them not just back to their schools but to the home also.”
Carlton Vice President and CEO of Our Watch Patty Kinnersly said Carlton is aiming to foster a future built around respect for the next generation, which makes days like today so important.
“The Back to School Day shows how much children enjoy learning about a myriad of new things like how to lead with kindness, ways to ask for help and also breaking down gender stereotypes,” Kinnersly said.
“Carlton Respects is centred around building the capabilities of children early, which is why the age and stage appropriate education messages that the Road to Respects program brings to classrooms is so crucial in contributing to preventing violence against women in this country.
“We would also like to acknowledge Bupa, for once again signing up as the Gold partner for the AFL and AFLW Carlton Respects Games. Their partnership supports the Road to Respect program which is continuing to go from strength to strength and will aim to reach 6,000 students each year.
“Initiatives such as this simply are not possible without support from genuine partners and we are so fortunate to have one alongside us every step of the way in Bupa.”
The 10th annual AFL Carlton Respects game will headline the Blues’ Round 19 game against Melbourne.
The team will once again take to the field in a special guernsey and orange socks to help raise awareness for Carlton Respects.
