Yesterday, Wednesday 23rd September, we hosted Student Cultural Day, a college-wide celebration where students could immerse themselves in a variety of different cultures, discover new traditions and participate in a range of activities.
At Brooklands, celebrating our diverse and inclusive community is very important to us. Student Cultural Day aimed to provide learners with a safe space to learn and interact with new cultures, in a fun and exciting environment. We also wanted to allow our students to express themselves and share their own cultures with their friends and colleagues.
Jam-packed with fun activities, the day started off with a range of stalls and music in the Main Hall. Students could recommend their favourite tracks to the music desk, inspired by their cultural backgrounds. They could also participate in South African face painting, hosted by Valerie, one of our safeguarding officers, who proudly represented the traditional face painting: ‘‘Because we’re such a diverse college, it’s a pleasure to celebrate all the different cultures. The South African tribal face painting comes with so much history, the white dots represent young men initiating into manhood, the different dots represent the different tribes in South Africa. It’s been brilliant.’’
Alongside traditional face painting, students received Henna tattoos and could create their very own custom tote bags. Learners could also enrich the world map by marking their families’ origin and participate in cultural quiz battles, where students and staff went head-to-head in a global knowledge quiz, identifying flags, customs and traditions from around the world.
Senzala London also hosted an exciting Capoeira Workshop, where students learned how to master the high energy moves of Afro-Brazilian martial arts! Our students commented: ‘I enjoyed today because I got some photos with my friends and it was quite enjoyable to do the Brazilian dancing and to learn some new fighting techniques.’
The excitement didn’t stop there! The canteen provided a ‘Thai Takeover’, giving students the opportunity to try a selection of traditional Thai flavours and experience something a little different from their usual lunch. The menu featured a range of Thai street food favourites, including: Thai green chicken curry, tofu Thai curry, coconut rice, crispy Thai spring rolls and a side of spicy noodles. Students could sample new flavours and enjoy the experience of trying new food inspired by another culture with their friends. Overall, the day was a great success and one we hope to repeat next year.
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