Above: Sudanese dancers involved in the Springvale Community Centre By Sarah Schwager
SUDANESE youths in Springvale will put their best dance feet forward next week as part of a local initiative to provide activities for the young north African community.
Springvale Community Centre coordinator Elena Sheldon said basketball and dance groups for Sudanese youths had started at the centre two months ago.
Ms Sheldon said Recon Community House in Springvale South had been looking for premises to run a free dancing class for Sudanese youths.
Springvale Community Centre provided the space from early July and since then the young Sudanese have been attending regularly every Friday afternoon.
“In the meantime we are looking for support to offset our operational expenses,” Ms Sheldon said.
The dance group is being supported by the Springvale RSL, which donated money a couple of weeks ago.
Springvale RSL general manager Bob Drew said the club was more than happy to help the Springvale Community Centre.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase to the community and for them to understand a bit about Sudanese youths,” Mr Drew said.
Mr Drew said many people were given the wrong impression about the local Sudanese community
“They’re very tall, striking looking people but no one knows much about them,” he said.
The group of dancers will present a 10minute performance at the RSL on Saturday 24 September which is expected to attract about 280 visitors.
“The girls are very excited,” Ms Sheldon said.
“They are rehearsing for it at the moment.”
Choreographer Jayde Robertson is preparing the girls for the performance at the RSL as well as three other street performances.
Jayde, 15, teaches hiphop to the girls every Friday and said the girls would eventually mix in their traditional style of African dancing.
“They are really enthusiastic,” Jayde said.
“They are great to work with. They are such nice girls. They really want to try to show people about their culture.”
Jayde, a Narre Warren South P12 College student, is involved in the hiphop group Xcape, and also teaches at Noble Park and Rowville and helps the Dandenong Rangers basketball club with coordination.
Ms Sheldon said many of the Sudanese youths involved in the programs were disadvantaged.
“They are really starting to display good leadership and responsibility,” she said.
“They want to do things they enjoy and work together with the local community. They just need some sort of support and guidance.”
Between 15 and 20 youths are involved in the program, mostly girls.
Ms Sheldon said she had been working with them for the past two months and watched their progress.
“It’s all their own initiative. They’re really good,” Ms Sheldon said.
Ms Sheldon said most of the boys who visit the community centre took part in the basketball program.
She said all of the work done at the centre was voluntary, including services provided by the instructors.
“We rely almost entirely on donations to run these sorts of programs,” she said.
“There is a lot of goodwill happening.”
Ms Sheldon said the program had had a great impact on the Sudanese youths.
“That’s all they need,” she said.
“They need the space and the support.”
