Information on 25 cultures and nations was shared during the first-ever Culture Fest at Cochrane High School last week.
Over the course of a few hours, students were introduced to the cultural backgrounds of their peers. The event featured displays, food samples, and traditional clothing from around the world.
The celebration was organized by the school’s welcome club in partnership with Rocky View Immigrant Services (RVIS) through its new Enhanced Settlement Workers in Schools (ESWIS) initiative.
Fleeha Ahmad of RVIS said the goal is to help create inclusive, diverse communities. She explained that while students were initially hesitant to share their families' traditions, that quickly changed.
“As they worked, they started building that pride in saying, ‘My aunts were from here, my grandparents were from there,’ and today they took pride in displaying them,” said Ahmad.
Ahmad hopes the enthusiasm shown this year will grow into even larger Culture Fests at the school in the future.
By working directly with schools, the ESWIS program aims to foster welcoming learning environments and reduce student isolation, conflict and dropout rates. The initiative is currently in place in several newcomer programs across the province.
It supports immigrant students and their families in navigating the education system by assisting with school registration, translation services and cultural brokering.
Schools benefit from improved cross-cultural communication, greater awareness of newcomer experiences, increased parent engagement, and healthier, more productive students.