Months of preparation have culminated in a dance competition featuring Pacific Island students from 10 high schools in western Sydney.
They came together on Thursday to celebrate the significance of traditional war dances performed in Pacific Island nations - with perhaps the most well-known being the haka, synonymous with Maori culture in New Zealand.
Student Winston Sesili Vaka said the Haka Warriors competition involved intense dedication and practice.
"It is exhilarating," he said of the performance in a packed auditorium of hundreds of family, friends and program supporters.
"Being able to show who you are, especially when your family is out in the audience, it really pumps you up and you go your hardest."
The Haka Warriors program began as an idea by Terrance Harris, who had support from charity PCYC Blacktown to expand it to schools in western Sydney.
"I went into PCYC one day - me and a friend. And, we just thought it was a good idea to have a competition between two schools. PCYC suggested we should make it a competition," he said.
Mr Harris graduated from school and thought nothing more of the challenge, only to find out that PCYC Blacktown had gauged genuine interest from the community and schools.
"I left school and graduated - and then apparently behind the scenes PCYC made it a dream come true. So it is a small idea and they bring it to life," he said.
Born and raised in Australia, learning the haka was an important part of Mr Harris' childhood and he was surprised to discover that not all Pacific Islander youths have had the same experience.
"I wanted to relay that to all the boys that are here. Because it is really awesome to see that - love what they're doing; and it really encourages them," Mr Harris said.
Terrance Harris, the founder of the Haka Warriors program, says he is proud to keep cultural traditions alive to empower marginalised youth. Source: SBS News
He said witnessing the transformation of the male students has been amazing.
"It is the fact that they really try and they show up on the day. That is what gives me the most pride," he said.
'They become one'
The president of the Maori Wardens Australia, Rawiri Iti, said he is a proud supporter of the leadership program and what it has done to unify the students.
"Haka - it is about our culture; and more importantly it is about involving all cultures," he said.
With less than 10 per cent of the performers being Maori, Mr Iti said he was pleased to see the embracing of all Pacific Island cultures.
"It brings all the cultures - and they become one. And what it means is that we all become one. And that is what this whole event is about," he said.
Program co-ordinator JoJo Lee, the club manager of PCYC Blacktown, said the program has been made possible through the donations and support of the community.
Ten schools participated in the program, culminating in a final performance in a packed auditorium. Source: SBS News
"I think living in Australia and having some connection to culture is really important," she said.
"The discipline, the respect, the identity - that is really what the program is about."
Ms Lee said the ambition is to see the program spread outside of the state, to perhaps even feature a state versus state competition - similar to the NRL's State of Origin.
"With how we want to see it grow, we want to see it moved out to other areas of Sydney and even out across the country," she said.
Women also perform their own version of the haka using different body actions and movements to the males to signify their own emotions and stories. Source: SBS News
"It takes a village to raise a child. We all play an equal part. That's what we're doing."
Mr Harris said he is still pinching himself to see how the program has grown.
"It is just crazy. I can't believe this is real. I remember the day they [PCYC Blacktown] brought me to the last competition. It was just unbelievable - that they had so many schools hop on board and bring it to life."
