The Culture Hub is a work-in-progress with the north Canberra Dinka (South Sudanese) diaspora community.

This intergenerational and intercultural project creates a ‘safe village’ environment for the Dinka to restore and maintain cultural practices. From here, members can share with and contribute to the larger Canberra community from a basis of their strengths as dancers, drummers, athletes and agriculturalists. The project creates opportunities for exchange between the Dinka, staff, students and families from the host school (Radford college), and a larger community of participant contributors and volunteers.

There will be opportunities for skills sharing, mutual languages acquisition, shared community events (including cooking, feasting, wrestling, dancing, ‘yarning’ and developing a community garden), and the potential for professional and social mentoring in a culturally-compatible environment. The emphasis is on sustaining long-term relationships. Food harvested and cooked from the community garden will be shared with the further underprivileged in Canberra. The project lays the ground for future intercultural exchanges with other Canberra organisations, families and  artists.

Created in partnership with the Dinka community, North Canberra diocese Anglican church, Radford College staff, students and families, Anglicare South-East (as the auspice body), and various cultural and community participants.

The Culture Hub: Major Gathering occurred on Nov 17, 2018, with over 400 participants from local and interstate communities in attendance.

Part II, 2019 will extend this ‘village’ to develop the  longer-term Arts-and-Health and intercultural scope of this project. The project will support art workshops, excursions, public performances and several exhibitions.  Up to 15 professional artists and organisations will facilitate activities including sewing, weaving, beading, collage, ‘shadow-play’, parkour, capoiera, circus skills, storytelling, and creative journaling. The process extends story-sharing through non-verbal means into the development of literacies in English, and the acquisition of job-ready skills.

The project is intended to be a pilot which can extend to working with many other groups in the wider community.

Partners include UnitingCare Kippax [UCK],  The University of Canberra, and the Anglican Diocese of Canberra.

Co-contributors and potential sponsors are welcome to be in touch to discuss their potential contribution to this project.