Year 9 Galileo Program: Culture Day & Pride Day Trails
In the Year 9 Galileo program, students go on an excursion almost every week, to bring our learning out of the classroom and into the community! We call these ‘trails’ and they are an integral part of the Galileo term. As current Galileo student, Celina Gilbert said, “Each trail is a new experience and something I look forward to each week.” One of the unique aspects of these trails is that we always take public transportation to see our city! An environmentally friendly approach that also eases students into becoming independent, street smart young people. Two of our new-er trails; Culture Day and Pride Day have gained rave reviews from students, here are some of their experiences.
The Galileo program tried out a new trail in term 3: Culture Day! We hopped on a tram to Brunswick and while one half of the group started with the African dance class, the other half of the group visited the Islamic Museum of Australia in Thornbury first. We heard from museum director Sherene Hassan about her experiences and the Muslim community in Australia. Galileo student Stella D’Orazio reflected that “growing up in a mainly white area it was refreshing being able to learn about a culture other than vegemite toast and fairy bread.” The gallery showed us the history of Islam and the many ways the religion is practised. The highlight of the museum was the gallery exploring the history of Islam in Australia. This was an important excursion for our Islamic and non-Islamic students. Noah Assali said after the trail, “As a Muslim, I felt really engaged in the Islamic community as I learned lots about the Islamic culture, art, and the community as a whole.” The Islamic Museum is nestled next to the Merri Creek, which meant we were able to wander down the Merri Creek trail to our next location - Dance Class!
Within one hour-long class, we could manage a short routine of complex dance moves! The dance teacher taught us about the meaning and history of the Ghanaian dance steps while taking us through our routine. At first, the steps were hard, but we practised and we were all in sync by the end. The last challenge of the class was to participate in a dance circle, which was nerve-racking for students and teachers alike! Galileo student, Meher Putsakayala explained, “We had to perform in the middle of the dance circle, which was fun but also plagued with anxiety and embarrassment The whole experience taught me new places in the city and also different cultural practices and also built my confidence.”
A relatively new trail for the Galileo Program is Pride Day. We started going on this trail last year, and it is always a great day. From our ideal vantage point of Carlton Primary School, we take the 96 tram all the way to St Kilda and visit the Victorian Pride Centre. The centre is the first purpose-built centre for Australia's LGBTIQ+ communities. First, we were taken on tours of the newly built centre and learned about its innovative design. Then, we utilised the Pride Centre’s beautiful theatre to participate in a workshop run by Minus18. The workshop gave everyone the basics of gender and sexuality. As Charlie Li Chiang reflected, “the experience taught us more about the LGBTQIA+ community, and during our lunch break, we were allowed to walk around the area and explore St. Kilda.” Finlay Paatsch commented “The centre is only a 5 minute walk away from the beach so my friends and I ate some lunch while looking out to the ocean.” Pride Day was an affirming day for our queer and questioning students and as current Galileo student Evie Gray reflected, “we learned about how to support our gay mates better.”
Mali Rea - Galileo Teacher