Crawley Mela Association / Crawley Mela
Crawley Mela is proudly sponsored by:
Community Services and Outreach Programme
Reaching out
The Mela Association, with support from Gatwick Airport Community Trust, Glaxo Smith Kline and West Sussex County Council, encourages local performers and artists to visit schools and community organisations to create opportunities to better understand and appreciate the varied and culturally rich society we live in.
This year, the association is providing Hindu dance; African storytelling and drumming, Chi Gong martial arts meditation exercises, Japanese calligraphy, Rongoli and other workshop activities throughout the year. Most African performances include support from the Crawley Afro-Caribbean Association including fashion, arts & crafts, hair and beading.
The Mela Association, in cooperation with the Crawley Interfaith Network, also provides speakers on basics of Faith for schools including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and other faith traditions, with the support of local community leaders from the mosques, Gurjar Hindu Union, Soka Gakkai UK and other local community groups.
The Crawley Mela is a multicultural association, not an interfaith organisation: we have no opinion on matters of faith and make available speakers for schools in order to provide an essential added dimension to the understanding of any culture. All our outreach offerings are fully funded and come at no cost to schools or community organisations.
Last year, eight schools participated in the Outreach programme including Southgate Primary, The Oaks First and Middle, Waterfield County First, Thomas Bennet Community College, Bewbush Primary, Mill Primary, Langley Green Primary and Manor Green College.
Feedback has always been very positive, although as a volunteer organisation we struggle to improve our professionalism each year. Some of the testimonials include:
Resident Artist Programme for Schools
The Outreach programme includes an artist-in-residence project for local schools, in which a creative artist spends several days with classes in a particular school to support and facilitate the childrens' designs for built art, costumes and parade artefacts for use during the annual Children's Parade. This programme is open to any local school but there are a limited number of residencies available.
Childrens' Multifaith Parade
The highlight of the Outreach programme is the Childrens' Multifaith Parade in early July each year, marking the opening of "Mela Season". Established in 2004, the parade represents the founding faith groups of the Mela Association - Hindu, Afro-Caribbean, Buddhist and Islamic - each with their own strand which merges into one parade through downtown Crawley, starting at the Memorial Gardens. Other faith groups are encouraged to participate. The 2007 parade was made possible by a generous main grant from Gatwick Community Trust and support from Glaxo Smith Kline. For a visual impression of the 2007 parade see the Gallery section or click here.
Online Booking
If you would like to book any of these activities for your school or community group, please get in touch using the online booking form. or leave a message at the Hawth for Mela Outreach (01293-552941).
