Fostering Integration

The Fostering Integration Project worked with local community groups to co-design a project that had a step by step process and an outcome that focused on the African Australian communities living in the Yarra estates to come together with the wider community at an event outside of the Public Housing Estates, 'We Are Colourful' to share culture through food, music, dance and to celebrate local African Australian communities, young people, women and their skills, stories, talents, and creativity with the wider community, fostering belonging and integration.  

Photo above: 'We Are Colourful' performance interactive workshop with audience, Mzuri Dance ArtisTree. 
 

We offered opportunities for people of all walks of life to experience and learn from each others cultures, helping to see the world from a new lens and understand the meanings of their culture through the stories and sharing of culture.  

Photo pictured above smoking ceremony with Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Bill 

The African Australian families of the Fitzroy public housing estate with Mzuri Dance had successfully built a strong community event on Saturdays through the Vic Health funded Culture Club Project and when this finished community leaders and parents as well as children asked if the program could somehow continue. To maintain this strong community connection we practiced deep listening and through the Fostering Integration Project, we established the Dour Community Group and re-commenced the cooking program with a specific focus of providing more meals to more families (50 individuals per Saturday) and engaging young people in art and craft and outdoor activities while the food was being cooked.  The project developed a longer term strategy to foster the families integtation into the wider community through the 'We Are Colourful' Event at the Abbotsford Convent, August 2023.

In collaboration with the Youth Engagement Grant, funded through the Department of Justice, Mzuri Dance engaged and delivered  Young peoples programs on the Collingwood, North Richmond, Carlton and Fitzroy Public Housing Estates in the City of Yarra.  This allowed the culmination of the event 'We Are Colourful " to engage these 4 estates public housing communities coming together with wider community for a high impact event of 250 participants. The event brought people together from all walks of life to share culture and foster integration and belonging. 
 

Mzuri Young Leaders and Junior leaders along with a cast of 20 artists from all across the public housing estates and the wider African Australian community in Melbourne came together to celebrate and share culture and stories about growing up in Melbourne. The performers invited past students of Mzuri Dance to join them in the performance space to dance together for the wider community and families and friends. 

The women shared their culture through the cooking and catering of east African food at the event and we had 190 meals and 70 sweets were enjoyed by the patrons and performers at the event.