The celebration of culture, history and diversity is once more just around the corner for the City of Casey, as the 4C’s program gears up to begin in early September.
The four ‘c’ letters in the program, which stand for cultivating creative cultures with communities, were the brainchild of Narre Warren South P-12 College’s Laitini Matautia, who is now readying her students for their performances.
Student leaders from the school, ranging from their skills and workplace leaders, to dance heads for the performances, spoke to Star News about the upcoming events, starting on Monday, 1 September, for a total of four cultural showcases lasting until Tuesday, 16 September.
Kenan Moors, a 17-year-old senior student who is taking part in the Samoan cultural dance presentation, said that being able to showcase not just their culture, but a swathe of others through dance and song “makes me feel comfortable”.
“It’s the fact that we’re showing everyone our cultures, giving the audience a taste of what it’s like.
“Then, through that, others may be inspired, the message of our dances, the songs, the tradition basically,” he said.
Isaiah Lokeni, also 17 years old, led the senior students in their Samoan cultural performance practice, and he said that for them, seeing as the team has been doing the 4C’s event for three years, experiencing it all come together “feels amazing”.
“Not only do you see people with different skin colours, different backgrounds and such, but it also gives you an opportunity to learn more about other people and their cultures.
“We’re all different, but we’re also all the same in a way,” he said.
As for Lavangin Amin and Ding Doboul, both leadership and community leaders in their senior years, they said that simply engaging with the activities, and getting others to also be involved is not only fun, but also “inspirational”.
“It’s also encouraging me to start being a bigger part of my own community,” he said.
Their youngest member and primary school leader, Florence, who is just eight years old, said that she enjoys being part of something big, especially with her friends.
When asked how she felt to be able to represent her Samoan heritage, she said that “it feels like I was born for this”.
Maara-Ray Amaru, who is part of both the Cook Islands and Samoan groups, said that she was initially nervous to be representing two cultures.
“But seeing my friends with smiles on their faces, it kind of pulled me to be part of their community as well,” she said.
“I wanted to see what it felt like, and I wanted to experience it and learn all about it.”
Working as a part of the school’s cultural engagement Pacifica team, and also a former student, Leighana recounted the introduction of the program, initially serving as a way to “re-engage the naughty kids”.
“My attendance was pretty shocking, so my teachers used it as an incentive to get me back into school.
“And now, 4C’s has been embedded into the curriculum, so the other leaders have it as their VET class, which means they can learn event management, as well as ticking the boxes for their degree,” she said.
On a personal level, she loves the program because of its goal to approach disengaged youth, as well as the overall appreciation of everyone’s culture when the students come together to practice and ultimately perform for the City of Casey.
“Like what everyone else said, there are a lot of similarities amongst our cultures once we learn them,” she said.
“So it’s good for the school since it’s getting the kids engaged, but it also boosts the school morale, especially when students realise the values and morals that each culture has.”
This year’s theme of performances revolves around advocating for unheard voices through misinformation, with the four-night exhibition to feature students from Narre Warren P-12 College, as well as other neighbouring schools, to explore and express their heritage.
The first night will be held on Monday, 1 September, while the following performance will be held the week after on 8 September.
The remaining two will be held on 15 September, with the finale on Tuesday, 16 September.
For more information on the 4C’s event, visit www.bunjilplace.com.au/events/4cs-showcase
