“Whyte Ridge Celebrates Cultural Diversity with Community Event”

Whyte’s Ridge

Whyte Ridge’s celebration of cultural diversity on April 30 was arguably one of the biggest community events in the last 20 years.

The Whyte Ridge Community Center, Henry G. Izatt Middle School and its Parent Council, and Pembina Active Living 55+ have been planning the celebration together for the past six months. It evolved from previous successful events hosted by the WRCC and PAL 55+ at the community center but, given space constraints, the decision was made to host it at the university this year, which includes another pillar of the community.

Instead of filling the community center with 50 people over two hours, the HG Izatt gym and adjoining classrooms filled over 800 people over a four-hour period: people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, and ethnicities, sharing food, entertainment, conversations . and lots of smiles.

Virgin Radio’s Tyler Mags was the emcee. Opening remarks from key organizers Shahin Shooshtari (WRCC Director of Diversity) and Sandra Sukhan (Past PAL 55+ President) were followed by a message of gratitude and welcome to Tract 1 from Ms. Marlene Carriere, an elder of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Local MP Terry Duguid, MLA Obby Kahn and City Councilor Janice Lukes also offered welcoming remarks.

Shahin Shooshtari, Director of Diversity for Whyte Ridge CC, said the event reflects the growth and evolution of our community and provides an opportunity for residents to share the richness of our region’s diverse cultures and ethnicities. He noted that it was co-funded by a 2022 Manitoba Community Arts, Culture and Sports Fund grant, as contributions from Izatt Middle School, PAL 55-plus, Winnipeg South MPP Terry Duguid, Waverley West Councilmember Janice Lukes, Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan, and several local businesses and volunteers.

Duguid noted the demographic changes in the community over the past 15 years and estimated that more than 80 countries are represented in the region. He and Janice Lukes noted that they recently attended New Year’s Eve celebrations with people from various countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Entertainment at the event included performances by the HGI Choir, Scottish Bagpipes, Persian Dancers, Chinese Fashion Show, Irish Dancers, Aboriginal Dancer, African Drums and Dances, French-Canadian Folk Dances, Japanese taiko percussion, traditional Iranian music, Korean fan dance, Russian-Ukrainian music, African-American bebop jazz, Indian music, steel pan music from Trinidad and Tobago, as well as artists from Brazil and Africa del west.

Stalls were set up outside the gym with food and cultural items from India (samosa), indigenous groups (bannock), Italy (focaccia), Pakistan (falafel balls), the Philippines (pancit), Poland (pierogi) and Thailand. (soup), with desserts and sweets from Argentina, China, Ukraine/Poland, India, Iran, France, Mexico, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Japan, and the Philippines. Cultural items from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malaysia, El Salvador and Sri Lanka were also shared. Classrooms have been set up for various cultural activities from India (henna), Japan (crafts), Brazil (music), West Africa (music), Latin America (dance), as well as Argentina, China and the Democratic Republic of Congo. .

HGI Principal Kathy Bru noted that cultural diversity is an important part of school life. She said the student population includes representation from 48 countries and efforts are made to welcome newcomers and for students to celebrate cultural diversity. Examples included the seventh grade social studies class hosting potlucks where students share ethnic foods and teaching sports and games from around the world. HGI hosted a week-long celebration of cultural diversity prior to the community event, which involved many learning opportunities and a whole school assembly.

A booth at the event allowed families new to the community to register, complete with a welcome basket, to help them establish themselves in the community.

With all the negativity on social media these days, it was heartwarming to see the effort put into bringing our community together to have such a positive experience. Congratulations to the WRCC Organizing Committee (Shahin Shooshtari and Nupur Kumari), PAL 55-plus (Sandra Sukhan) and HGI (Kathy Bru, Deanna Zaharia, Margo Beatty and Melissa Klimack, and parents Ted Meira and Chozanne Gryte), as well as to all the artists and many volunteers who contributed or donated the food and organized the place.

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nick barnes
Whyte Ridge Community Correspondent

Nick Barnes is a community correspondent for Whyte Ridge.

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