NRL PASIFIKA LEADERS - Social Media for Social Change
This time last week the NRL Pacific Leadership Camp was in full swing with players identified by their clubs as being leaders or potential leaders in attendance.
Speakers included Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Frank Puletua, Nigel Vagana, Quentin Pongia with Tagata Pasifikas John Pulu on MC duties.
One of the key speakers at the camp was Digital Strategist Mahei Foliaki who spoke to the players about the platform they have as NRL players to be able to use their influence to help their community, their people and their family but making sure they were equipped with the right information and knowledge to be able to do this through Social Media.
He encouraged them to educate themselves, keep learning and to firstly have a strategy/plan and secondly the tactics to achieve their objectives.
Mahei stressed the importance of personal responsibility and how they're using these social media tools because it affects their brand. He brought it closer to home by saying "Your surname! Your surnames your brand .... it's super, super important that when you have these mobile phones and you have these tools that anything you release is going to make your Grandmother proud of you, your Grandfather proud of you, your Mum and Dad proud of you, it's gonna make your Day 1s proud of you, it's gonna make that person who's always supported you since you were a child proud of you ..... and yes, we may make mistakes but it's imporant that we learn from them"
He used David Tua as an example of building community support by always supporting community events and functions when he was at the top of his game and how they can do this easily through social media by engaging with their community - sharing events and pictures with their fans on their own social media eg commenting, liking, replying to fans. He encouraged the players not to undervalue what a comment or reply to a fan or their family could mean to them.
Mahei then used Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers Quarterback, as a case study to show how Colin used his platform as a well known NFL player to bring awareness to social injustice & police brutality against young black men and to make a stand for Black Lives Matter and human rights for African Americans in the US. Colin highlighted an issue. Mahei then related it back to the players and how they can educate themselves on their own community, country and village issues to be able to make a stand. Colin got slammed by most media outlets but he created conversation and got people talking about the issues black people face.
He also recommended the players choose wisely when it came to issues they wanted to make a stand for and also the people they choose to show to associate with. They were then spit into groups and given 5 minutes to come up with a cause they'd like to stand up for and the strategy and tactics they'd employ to bring awareness to their cause such as Climate Change in the Pacific.
The next day Mahei reinforced what he'd spoken to the boys about in regards to Social Media and also gave them strategies that they could put into place to build their own brands that'd then take them beyond the football field and give them confidence in themselves as a brand and what they have to offer potential employees once they retire from professional footy.
The players also heard from Paul Tu'ivai who shared his incredible life story from a kid in Tonga to being Director of Marketing & Promotions at Universal on the West Coast of the US. He also stressed the importance of Social Media and building their own brand and to remember they C A N - Challenges, Attitude, Never Give Up. "Don't let the cocoon of negativity, don't let the cocoon of your own doubt, don't let the cocoon of other peoples negativity or even your own family get you down"
We caught up with one of the staff and players from the camp to see what they learned and have taken away from the speakers sessions.
Andrew Blowers - Melbourne Storm Player Development - "We work with the boys off the field. The coaches do everything on the field and we have a lot of kiwi influence, pacific influence at the Storm so we try and manage them in terms of home stay. They're away from family so sometimes I'm a Dad to all the boys (laughs) but we have a high Pacific Island influence at the club and Craig Bellamy has always had a lot of Kiwis and Pasifika boys there so hence the reason I'm there obviously to help understand the culture, help understand the family, aiga and how all that works. I'm real privileged and real honoured to be in that role but yeah, the Pasifika Leadership camp has been amazing.
We want our boys to take in a lot of what they've learnt today and bring it back to the clubs and to the other Pacific boys in the team because it's important that knowledge is shared whether it's the Social Media side which I know is so important in this world - I have 2 teenage kids so I know I need to upskill in this as well (laughs) - but no-ones immune to hard times and I think if you can support them because even though they're athletes they're still human beings and they still go through the same thing as you and I. Probably their life is under more of a microscope in the media which can be beneficial as well, but on the other hand it can be a real issue for players who don't handle it well.
Andrew Blowers ending the camp with prayer
For our boys I think it's important that they know that there is life outside of footy and I think thats the most important that yes footy is a part of our life but not our full life, so it's important that they see that and the other avenues that they can create through their profile in the NRL. It's important that they build that - whether it's giving, in terms of giving to the community, in terms of a career after footy, I think Social Media's going to help them drive that. I hope they've taken a lot out of that and they keep moving it forward.
Johnny Tuivasa-Sheck
It was great as a young guy coming in - I learned heaps from the older guys and just learning how much influence our community has in the game and in the sport and how much power we have, having that (support) in our corner. The biggest thing I'll take away from this weekend is just how much power our culture has in the game and how much the game desperately needs our culture and the love that we have.
With the Social media sessions it was great learning just how much power it (social media) actually has - where I was just creating content just to create content I learned that I can actually use it to 'brand' myself and go further where it can actually become a career outside of footy. So currently I'm studying Social Videos because it's something I'm passionate about so it was great to have Mahei here and really get an understanding of it.
Kane Evans
I don't actually have any Social Media but after today I want to get one just to be able to promote my brand and also for other reasons I don't want it so I still gotta weigh it up but if I want to expand my brand and get out there and get whatever I stand for out there, I think it's going to be good if I do get social media.
I haven't had it (Social Media) because I never really got it and I'd see my friends always on their phones on their Social Media and so I didn't want to end up being one of those people always on their phone. I'm a loud bloke and I like to be social and I like making conversations with people and I think I thought that if I had social media it'd take that away from me. What I've learned from the camp is that it doesn't and it's actually good for my brand if I do get it so I'm still thinking about it now whether I do get it and then hopefully just allocate a certain amount of time to it rather than be on my phone all the time.
Kane & Sydney Roosters team mate Eloni listening to Mahei's presentation
I'm probably gna take away confidence in who I am, just to see some of the Pacific Islanders doing the jobs that they're doing - the guest speakers - has sort of inspired me and given me confidence to get out there and have a crack at whatever I want to do so now if say I wanted to be a doctor I'm not gonna go "I'm just a Fijian, Australian kid it's not possible" I have confidence and my perspectives been broadened so I'm really keen to learn and educate myself.
Eloni Vunakece
I got so much out of it, the whole way through the presentation I was writing stuff down. Creating a good link between you and your fans was one of the things I took away from it. Probably the main thing is that we are our own brand and we've got great exposure through the NRL - it's a great vehicle for exposure so we can capitalise on that and I guess use what you've developed and relate back to your own values and use it to push that.
Konileti Hurrell
It's been good to see all the other cultures here like the Samoans, the Fijians, Niueans, Cook Islanders joined together as Pacific Islanders working together.
With the Social media it was really good to learn more about it obviously we all like it but I didn't really know much about it before the camp so it's been really good. The most important thing I've learned is to engage with other people, us Pacific Islanders don't always have that courage to stand out and do what we can do but I feel like I can do more myself.
Koni in the middle
Suggested Links: