Battle Creek dinner for students allows them to share cultures, as well as new dishes
SPRINGFIELD — Inside the gymnasium of the Burma Center on Wednesday night, teenagers from different schools, backgrounds and cultures gathered in two circles.
In one group, a takraw ball was kicked around as part of a game of chinlone, the national sport of Myanmar (Burma). In the other, eight people sat on the floor where they rhythmically clapped PVC pipes as others tiptoed around them while performing the traditional Chin bamboo dance.
"We learned it back when we were in Burma, it was one of the first things our parents taught us," Kum Lawma, a student at Battle Creek Central said of the bamboo dance. "You don't usually get to do this at school, so people taking their time to make this event happen makes us feel very special."
The free event was a multicultural get-together among local high school students, hosted by the Burma Center through a collaboration with fellow nonprofits Voces and the Southwestern Michigan Urban League. About 35 students participated in the social event, which sought to bring together young people to encourage them to learn and share about different cultures.
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"The goal of this dinner is to bring high schoolers and youth from different schools and backgrounds together so they can make friends and learn about each other," said Jenifer Pui, Education Engagement Program administrator for the Burma Center. "There are many stereotypes out there, so we want the youth to get to know each other, through food."
The event featured music, question-and-answer prompts, a dance performance by the Lakeview Multicultural Club and a variety of traditional Burmese, Hispanic and soul food dishes. It was similar to a scaled-down version of the International SummerFest, which took place annually for more than four decades to celebrate the diversity of cultures in Battle Creek, until it was canceled in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Before dinner, students were assigned seats and asked to share the story of how they got their names. They also were asked to find out what they had in common with others at their table. Andie Orozco, a student at Lakeview, sat down and met Zalan Kim, a student at St. Philip Catholic Central.
"I'm here because I want to learn about other cultures... And just eat some food," Orozco said. "Here, we're able to communicate with each other more. It's just students, where we get to talk to each other."
Cassandra Portes, program specialist for Southwestern Michigan Urban League, said the collaboration to host the college fair and multicultural dinner came from asking area students what they wanted out of their community organizations.
"We all have our individual programing, but we are learning so much from our kids, so let's come together and do it," Portes said. "It makes sense. We have to let them take the lead. And our kids are geniuses."
In February, the three nonprofits hosted a college fair at the Burma Center with the goal of providing better information for those who would be first-generation college students or who speak English as a second language. The event came after a cohort of 15 students from the local African American, Burmese and Latinx communities participated in Grand Valley State University's REP4 initiative. The three-week program — which stands for Rapid Education Prototyping — helps students from Black, Indigenous and people of color communities become better acclimated to going to college.
Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek students share cultures through food, dance and games
