Connecting Cultures Week

Sevenoaks represents a plethora of cultures and thus diversity. So, when deciding what theme EDI week should be, we were all drawn to ‘Connecting Cultures’. As a school that represents many different cultures, religions and nationalities, it is crucial that we celebrate them all and to do that we need to be aware of their celebrations, traditions and beliefs.

We started off most days this week doing assemblies for each year group, which consisted of a video which showed the cultures that our student body and teachers identify with; this ranged from British, to Indian to Lebanese to even Sennockian.

On Tuesday, we conducted a bake sale and were able to sell over £100 worth of goods in support of Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees.

At the Culture Fair, it was clear from our time setting up that people were passionate and ready to share their cultures. We had Americans with Tide pods, the Irish playing ‘Guess the Irish’, the Eastern Europeans sharing a range of food, the Italians making homemade cannelloni, the Lebanese with fresh zaatar and baklava, Zimbabweans playing traditional music, the Swiss with chocolate, the Indians with street food and much more. Being able to see people from all nationalities try new foods and learn about new cultures was wonderful.

In tutor groups, Kahoots were played, quizzing people about different cultures. On Friday, it was home clothes day, with a twist: traditional clothing is encouraged! Around campus, people were wearing an element of their culture, whether it be a hat, coat, or even full outfit.

Throughout the week, we had ‘Sounds of the World’ as well as different cuisines in the dining hall. Listening to Spanish music whilst eating Indian food was an experience in itself! By the end of the week, we have made a home map, as a visual memento from this week; it represents where the Sevenoaks family call home.

Connecting Cultures week has been an enlightening experience for all who participated. We have been able to connect cultures, through new friendships and leaflets that explore contrasts and similarities between nationalities. Our world is diverse, but this week at Sevenoaks, we explored our diversities and made connections in unique and undiscovered ways.

Ananya Ruia, U6