Twice a week at Melton West Primary School, west of Melbourne, sessions of a program called "Embrace" start with a game of basketball and a laugh.
Sudanese-born youth worker Gum Mamur, who tested his basketball skills in the United States college system, sees the game as a metaphor for off-court life.
It is a philosophy the 24-year old says he shares with Embrace participants.
"I've always thought you let people know how you feel in the situation ... understanding that this is how we are going to behave. I'll show you respect, you show me respect. Treat people with respect regardless of their age and where they come from."
Gum Mamur arrived in Australia as a 12 year-old, directly from Kenya's Kakuma Refugee Camp.
He could not speak English and says he had few skills to deal with life in his adopted country.
"Growing up over there, the way people dealt with issues was fighting. That's how a lot of the kids over there are brought up. When you come here, it's the complete opposite -- you negotiate your way through things, talk about it."
It is an issue that confronts many students from the culturally diverse Melton West primary school.
Steven Erjok was born in Australia to a Sudanese father and a Kenyan mother.
The Year 4 student says there was a time when he suffered from anger issues.
He says spending time with Gum Mamur and participating in the Embrace program has opened his eyes to a new way of behaving.
"I learnt about bullying. I learnt not to bully others. Even though you look different, you can't bully anyone else. I remember we watched a video with Gum about Jonathan, who got bullied at school because he was big, and people called him names, and it broke his heart. Every piece of his heart was breaking to pieces."
Michelle Costa, the principal at Melton West Primary, says the school is calmer and the students behave far better as a result of the program.
"It will have a positive impact and influence on the academic data as well -- the Naplan results and attendance data, as the children who participate in Embrace are coming to school because they want to be part of that program."
Melbourne-based social worker Les Twentyman initiated the program after growing concerned at the lack of suitable programs for primary-age children from diverse backgrounds.
Mr Twentyman says with ice use and violent crime now sometimes attributed to primary-age children, it is never too early to intervene and teach the right behaviours.
"A couple of Sudanese young kids have told me no-one ever teaches us how to be Australian, and, when you think about it, it's, 'Here's the keys, have a good life.' And if they don't know how to integrate into the community and can't speak English, then they're highly at risk of being recruited by drug cartels and gangs like that."
Mr Twentyman says he wants to expand the program to other schools with culturally diverse student bodies and is helping train more youth workers.
