A Community Outreach is the activity of providing services to any community that might not otherwise have access to those services. But in Oak Lawn Community High School, the purpose of our annual community outreach is to unite communities and to celebrate our cultures. The community outreach’s purpose was to break stereotypes of cultures and to unify the people from Spanish and Arabic communities.
The yearly community outreach is sponsored by Arabic Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Organization of Latin American Students in Solidarity Club, and Muslim Students Association. It’s objectives were to foster a relationship with non-English speaking communities, to celebrate the Latin and Arabic culture with our community, and to showcase our pride and knowledge of our cultures. This event took place on Wednesday, April 17 at the school’s Performing Arts Center.
During this event, students from the Organization of Latin American Students, the Arabic Honors Society, and the Spanish Honors Society united to perform traditional Arabic and Latin dances, Arabic and Spanish poetry reading, and a fashion show which showcased traditional garments from both cultures. There was singing, posters, kahoots that taught about Arabic and Spanish cultures and traditions. After these events, there was an enticing culinary journey with light fare showcasing the flavors of Spanish and Arabic-speaking cultures. Culture exhibits were displayed for the families in our community from both Arabic and Spanish speaking countries.
I had discussed about the meaning of being Hispanic and Arabic with both Araceli Torres and Marwa Elmasry, who are both world language teachers at Oak Lawn Community High School and who organized this wonderful community outreach. “I’m proud to be Hispanic because it has taught me to have empathy and respect towards other countries and cultures.” Said Torres, “For me, being Hispanic is a profound feeling. It’s when you listen to music from your country, it’s when you enjoy traditional meals from your country, being Hispanic is a feeling that I’m proud to know.”
I had discussed with Elmasry the significance of being Arabic, she had said, “For me, the significance of being Arabic, is to be the ambassador of my country. To represent my culture and people. As a minority, we get judged with stereotypes. Stereotypes are wildly spread, especially in media, and it’s hurtful towards people from these backgrounds. I’m proud of being Egyptian because Egypt is a marvelous place with so much history.”
In conclusion, the Arabic and Spanish organizations at our school helps unite different cultures together by organizing these events to celebrate and to learn about our cultures and traditions that we adore. I hope this inspire students to join the multiple organizations at our school to help us reach our goal to unite our communities and I hope this convince you to attend the community outreach next school year and to support our cultures.
