By Mitchell Clarke
Working alongside the 4C’s, Year 11 VCAL students at Officer Secondary College have organised a cultural event which aims to showcase cultural dancing and singing.
Over 15 secondary schools are set to take part in the two night show with over 1000 people expected to fill Bunjil Place on Tuesday 20 and Tuesday 27 August.
Each school will perform 20 minutes of cultural dancing and singing, with students also set to partake in various roles ranging from sound and lighting technicians, stage manager, OH&S officers and general support staff.
Event organiser and Officer SC VCAL coordinator Laitini Matautia-Ulugia said the program is quite prestigious and covers all learning outcomes.
“The students immerse themselves in a culture, they learn the language and engage with members of that community,” Ms Matautia-Ulugia said.
“Our VCAL students will be supporting a group of their peers to perform the New Zealand ‘Haka’ as part of their contribution to being culturally inclusive.”
She credits the program as being able to engage difficult students, with many teachers amazed at the behavioural change of students who have taken part.
“The personal achievement they get is phenomenal, they become so confident and the program really prepares them for Year 12,” she said.
“The program caters for all, we’re really calling on support from all local councils.
“It’s about the whole community coming together and that’s what 4Cs stands for.”
Confident about the future prospects this program holds, Ms Matautia-Ulugia hopes to run the program over three nights next year to accommodate more schools.
“We had so many schools wanting to jump on board this year.”
The schools taking place this year include Officer SC, Pakenham SC, Cranbourne and Cranbourne East SC, Fountain Gate SC and Dandenong High School.
For a full list of the schools taking part and more information, visit https://www.bunjilplace.com.au/4cs-cultural-showcase.
