At eighteen years of age, Mietta Scarlett is part of the next generation of Aboriginal leaders.

Much of her training stems from Richmond’s Korin Gamadji Institute (KGI) - a unique educational training facility located at Punt Road in Richmond, that supports and incubates leadership and employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth between 14-21.

Mietta is also a young woman navigating her way in a world where females are learning to embrace and celebrate who they are.

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"I think just in society, women are afraid and like, the mentality of women growing up is, ‘you’re not good enough’ or ‘you have to be this certain way, you have to look a certain way to do something’ and it’s just about teaching younger people, or even yourself, that’s not the case."

Adds Chey Macumber, a member of Richmond’s VFLW team and former KGI student, "I feel that girls are more judged and (society) thinks that boys have more power and I don’t believe in that at all. Girls are just as strong as men in all sorts of different ways and we shouldn’t be ashamed of who we are. We should be proud of who we are."

The KGI Alumni have embraced the challenge by joining forces with a number of young, emerging Aboriginal women, connected through Richmond’s diverse networks, to create their female version of the Dreamtime War Cry.

“The creation of the women’s War Cry is representing women and their strength and power and their roles within the community, and showing that women are also warriors,” explains Tarsh Bamblett, the first female player ever to be signed to Richmond.

"Having the War Cry there for women to participate in gives them the opportunity to be involved and have their input and have their voice heard, and have them being seen as these strong, powerful women as well, like our men have always been."

"To do it front of the boys, who have been doing it for so long, and for us in our first few years, it’s an amazing feeling and for me to be 18 and to be doing it with my little cousin, who’s 16, that’s what it’s all about and it’s a feeling you can’t explain," says Scarlett, who attributes cultural learnings ad being active to an increased sense of self-love and acceptance.

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"I was taken back a little bit, especially through my involvement with a few of the girls – through their Boorimul programs – to be able to see them just back themselves and get involved in the war-cry", says Matt Muir, KGI Program officer and member of Richmond’s male War Cry troupe.

"To do it in front of a few of the Indigenous players was really inspiring, especially from my perspective - being involved in the War Cry for so many years and being able to see that next generation coming through of strong women just expressing their culture. It’s unbelievable."

The women performed their War Cry during the Dreamtime round at Punt Road ahead of Richmond's VFLW and VFL matches with Essendon. The occasion, an important step towards challenging the outdated stereotype of women supporting from the sidelines, but not getting active and involved on the field.

"I don’t think I believed in myself back when I was little, unfortunately. But now there are so many opportunities for girls, which is so good and amazing, that we shouldn’t fear judgement", says Macumber.

Scarlett wants every female to embrace who she is by banishing negative thoughts from the field of play, altogether.

"We have those little voices and I still, to this day, have those voices in my head and the voice could say, ‘you’re not good enough’ and things like that, or ‘you’re not this size, you’re not that’, but it’s about you have to accept yourself and look at yourself and not judge yourself, otherwise how do you expect other people not to?

"I think self-love for women is a huge thing. I wish like every women could look at themselves in the morning, before they go out and just look at themselves and say, ‘you’re beautiful, you are worthy and you can do it’. Us women are so much stronger that society tells us. I would just say go out be yourself. There’s only one you.

"This Girl Can do whatever she puts her mind to."

Richmond Football Club is a proud partner of VicHealth’s This Girl Can Victoria campaign, celebrating women who are all kinds of active. Women who are giving it their all, or giving it a go, but not giving a damn!