Palestinian Arts Exhibition
The war within Gaza created intense feelings of distress and grief amongst many of our students from a range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Several students from Gaza, Palestine, enrolled at Adelaide Secondary School of English (ASSoE) in March 2024. Their stories have moved the school community, and their strength, pride and resilience have been inspiring. Shortly after their arrival, a forum about Gaza was held for students supported by two Department for Education Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) and members of the school wellbeing team. The focus of the forum was to enable students to express their feelings of solidarity, despair and hope, and then plan on how to share their feelings and thoughts within the school community and beyond.
The students decided to create a display, and this evolved into the exhibition. The students worked with Bushra Rasheed and Fariba Ahmadi (CLOs), Palestinian facilitator Enaam Oudih from Relationships Australia (SA), photographer Razan Fakhouri and artist Alissar Aleid, to facilitate four student art workshops and create the exhibition elements. The following themes emerged for the display: The beautiful history and land of Gaza, Gaza during the war, our hopes for the future and supporting Gaza. The Exhibition has been set up at school in the South building and the launch event, attended by the artists, parents and community members, was held on Thursday 20th June. The exhibition will also tour to the Department for Education foyer, 31 Flinders St Adelaide, from 1st to 5th of July and be open to the public.
Mr Paul Coats
