Project Description

The Anti Racism Action Band (A.R.A.B) from the Victorian Arabic Social Services (VASS) is a culturally and artistically eclectic community-based youth performing arts program in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

The A.R.A.B program currently works with 250 young people from 50 cultural backgrounds, fusing traditional and street dance forms with theatre, spoken word, original music and video. All A.R.A.B performances are underpinned with local stories and themes of cultural and suburban identity.

Young people are engaged in the program through school and community partnerships, taking part in main performances, special projects, training and employment, and our ‘Tawasal’ gigging platform. 

A.R.A.B participants have performed at over 300 public and community events from the Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre to the Melbourne International Arts Festival to the Gotham Comedy Club New York.

VASS Background:

The Victorian Arabic Social Services established A.R.A.B as a creative outlet for Arabic young people in Melbourne’s north who were experiencing racial vilification following the events of September 11, 2001. Recognising that racism, gang culture and discrimination against and between young people in the region was also fuelled by low self-esteem and a lack of creative outlets across all cultural groupings the VASS and the budding A.R.A.B team threw open its doors to all young people. 

The results were explosive and the ensemble quickly expanded in size and form. A.R.A.B is now a large multi- disciplinary program that works actively to raise self-esteem and confidence, challenge racial tensions and promote social inclusion whilst imparting performance, event management, social and life skills and crucial employment pathways.