Trip helps close gap

By Melissa Meehan
MOVING to a new country can be a difficult task.
Balancing old world ideas with the new world is not always easy.
Add in religious idealism and a completely different culture, and you will soon notice the two are worlds apart.
Enter Takek, 17, and his father Ziad Nachar from Keysborough.
Ziad is from Syria, and while Takek was born in Australia he is expected to follow the culture and beliefs of his father.
The two joined a group of Muslim men and their sons on a trip to Shepparton last weekend to attempt to bridge the generation gap between them.
These communities have all the usual conflicts between father and son, added to the challenge of living between two cultures. Takek said the trip was a good experience for him and his father.
“Seeing the different cultures and the way they interacted was really interesting,” Takek said. “The gaps mainly come from our fathers being brought up overseas. It’s different here.”
When asked the major difference between his upbringing and that of his father, Takek said it was mainly respect. “Overseas has more respect for the fathers, but here it is about mutual respect,” he said. “There is more freedom.”
Ziad said the trip was a good chance to talk about issues between fathers and sons. “We want our son to be the best,” Ziad said. “To not go down the wrong track.”
He said the trip allowed the men to break the ice and tell each other what they were thinking.
The trip to Shepparton was organised by Cr Hass Dellal, director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation as part of his closing the gap project.
He said he designed the project after working with African youths in trouble with the police, who would go to the elders rather than speaking to them.
Dr Dellal said the youths felt unheard, but said his project allowed the fathers and sons to identify significant issues and talk about them.
The next step for the families involved is to take part in a photo exhibition highlighting their day to day lives.
Each duo will be provided with a camera and asked to take candid pictures of their family for an exhibition to be put on show next year.