VCAL Multicultural Day

Multicultural Day

VCAL students become leaders in Closing the Gap in Multicultural Australia

Over the past year the VCAL students have been working collaboratively with some of the Year 12 VCAL students at Narre Warren South P-12 College to close the multicultural divide that exists in Melbourne. In the beginning the students wrote letters to each other, sharing their experiences and lifestyles. A letter written by Fahema touched the hearts of the VCAL students. Her words had an impact and they realised that what they hear in the media is not always correct. To hear first-hand from a young lady the same age as them, how she heard the bombs from the Taliban and the struggles she had endured will have a lasting impact. Fahema was able to travel to Beaufort with her class and share her letter with all of our students.

Our first trip was to Narre Warren South P-12 College, where they were hosting their annual Multicultural Day. Narre Warren South P-12 College has approximately seventy Year 12 VCAL students, so it was extremely overwhelming to be in one space at one time with so many students. The students were involved in Haka, Henna and Island Tattoo workshops hosted by the students. Multicultural competitions (– eating Maltesers with chopsticks and a party pie eating competition) occurred before lunch, followed by a concert. The VCAL students also planned a camp where they were able to experience the cultures that exist in Melbourne and enjoy the sights and sounds of the lively and busy Melbourne environment.

The final stage of the project was inviting VCAL students from Narre Warren South P-12 College to Beaufort, so that they could experience our school and community. The morning began at Jo Ham’s farm, where students had morning tea in the shearing shed and were able to feed all the baby animals. We then welcomed them to our school and had the pleasure of watching the Haka and Cook Island dancing. Our choir also sang Pokara Kara Una and My Island Home. The students were physically moved by the vibrating floor during the Haka and they were also moved by the brave words of Fahema’s letter.

Both Narre Warren South P-12 and Beaufort Secondary have developed a partnership and we are looking forward to this becoming an annual event.