Dancing in the Fringes

Give hope a chance!

The survival needs of the new arrivals for shelter, food, health services, education, work and other basic necessities of life are being met by individual efforts and by various governmental agencies. But there is something missing in the Land of OZ.

Dr. Gary Pennington, a visiting lecturer at the University of South Australia and the facilitator of the New Arrivals Outreach Project, knows a thing or two about the new migrant communities. He suggests that the missing ingredients are in the areas of play, sports and dance, as well as effective coordination of such services.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that community facilities and programs which most Australians take for granted in the mainstream society cannot be accessed by youths and families in the new and emerging communities.

Indeed, as Dr. Pennington suggests, play can form an important link between people of different cultures.

We must, therefore, find a more creative way of using play, music, dance, and sport to give new migrants a chance and build bridges across the various subcultures.


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