A Cultural Spectacle
By: Ayen Riak
An integral part of Central Collegiate, that’s quite hard to overlook, is the diversity among its students as you walk through the gymnasium for the day’s excursions. For the medley of students belonging to different backgrounds and having settled in Canada with more pronounced struggles to humor a new and contrasting western environment unlike their own, Cultural Fair proved to be an aid in schooling their peers and teachers about their own race and ethnicity while sharing appreciation for varying nationalities everywhere. There were plenty of opportunities throughout the day to explore what every country had to offer: your choice of scarf to style a hijab in the Middle East, scoring a savory meat pie and an ice-cold cocoa drink from Ghana, participating in the door prize to win treats from the Philippines, or enrolling in the draw for a free backpack. Such activities filled the day with joy, as did the musical performances by many brave Central students. At the heart and center of Cultural Fair, Central Collegiate’s school settlement worker, Mr. Omot worked behind the scenes for weeks, accommodating students with their needs throughout their projects, presiding as host for the cultural exhibition, and arranging the financial contribution from door tickets to sponsor the English as an Additional Language Program. Since graduating from Central in 2012, Mr. Omot has had the privilege of coming back as an alumnus nearly a decade later, using his close ties to the school to offer his students guidance and build a stronger connection in the EAL program.
Could you give an account about your role in the EAL program here at Central?
“My job at Central is that I am a school settlement worker. I help newcomer families, help students with enrollment, help students navigate the Canadian school system. When new people come from new places, they find it challenging to style in Canada, especially when they don’t speak English. My ability to help to guide them, helps to cruise this tricky school system. Part of the job includes winter services, and how to access resources in the community while promoting cultural diversity.”
Do you have any objectives for the students you mentor, and the school and EAL as a whole, when it comes to acknowledging the diversity of our school with such events like Cultural Fair?
“Yes. I do have an objective. Cultural fair is an opportunity to celebrate all the diverse cultures that exist within the school. We don’t often get to see all those cultures in one space. We don’t get to see how diverse our school is until we come together. Seeing that we have a diverse school can create an open and welcoming space for everybody.”
Could you see a larger impact being drawn to diversity in schools and growing confidence in students of color and newcomers with Cultural Fair? Or an event with a larger local audience, such as another World Refugee Day event?
“Yes, absolutely. Anytime we do anything to celebrate and recognize the many diverse cultures we have in our community, it makes everyone feel seen. People are able to be comfortable sharing their cultures, and knowing others will embrace their culture. It does make them feel more comfortable to share their culture and knowledge. Cultural Fair does that, as does World Refugee Day because we are able to understand them and empathize with them, creating connections because we know where they came from and what they’ve been through.”
What possibilities will this EAL scholarship offer to student recipients of Central Collegiate?
“Because the money that we generate is not so much, it’s just given to the EAL students when they graduate so they will all get small amounts. It’s something of appreciation for showing their cultures at school, as a token of gratitude.”
