Drums and dragons are among the highlights of Melton celebrations of Cultural Diversity Week, which has been extended into a fortnight of fun because of the sheer number of cultures to highlight.
Goodstart Early Learning director Debbie Wakefield says festivities will keep rolling until this Friday as about 16 different nationalities are showcased at the centre.
“We have spread it over two weeks as we have too many diverse cultures in our service,” she says. “We want to highlight as many as possible so we’ve had a Chinese dragon and Indian dance workshop; we’ve also had a cook come in and cook us some beautiful cuisines.”
WILLOW DANCES WITH THE CHINESE DRAGON.
Dancers and a drumming workshop are on the program this week – all part of the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s promotion of community harmony and celebration of the many cultures that make up Victoria’s communities.
Ms Wakefield said the centre encouraged children to speak in their mother tongue.
“There is a large Indian community in our area,” she said. “We also have children who are Sudanese, Italian and Croatian, just to name a few.
“It’s important that the children keep their cultural identity and we assure the parents that this will happen.”
