World Fest organized by Town committee in partnership with Brooklin Optimist Club and Whitby Youth Council Parvaneh Pessian ppessian@durhamregion.com WHITBY -- When Shobha Maraj heard the Town of Whitby was holding its first cultural celebration earlier this month, she knew she had to be involved. As founder and director of Shobha Talent and Cultural Centre in Pickering, she said many of her members have been looking for opportunities to perform in other areas of Durham. "I was very excited because I don't think that Whitby is exposed to this kind of multiculturalism and it needs to be," said Ms. Maraj. Seven girls between the ages of 13 and 17 from the centre performed a unique dance that blended Bollywood with other styles during World Fest Whitby, held at the McKinney Centre on May 3. The event was held to promote youth cultural diversity in the community and was hosted by the Town of Whitby in partnership with the Brooklin Optimist Club, the Ethno-cultural and Diversity Advisory Committee and the Whitby Youth Council. "It's promoting youth in the community, finding ways to get youth in the community involved, and let families know there are activities for youth so that's one of our priorities," said Rob Hanson, president of the Brooklin Optimist Club on the group's decision to join the efforts to bring the cultural event to Whitby. "We just thought it was a great way to celebrate all of the cultures in our community because there are lots of things going on that people don't know about." According to the 2011 census, Whitby has the highest percentage of new immigrants of all Durham municipalities. The Town's Ethno-cultural and Diversity Advisory Committee recently conducted a community survey to better understand the diversity needs of the community and barriers residents face related to culture and diversity. A total of 460 individuals completed the Community Diversity Survey. More than half (58 per cent) of respondents agreed Whitby embraces culture and diversity while 34 per cent were unsure and nine per cent disagreed. The most common suggestion to bring more inclusiveness to the town was to increase cultural festivals. "Our youth are not involved or exposed to their own culture as much as they're exposed to Canadian culture so it's nice to have people from different cultures involved in a big community event," said Ms. Maraj. durhamregion.com The Citizen May 23, 2014 5 WHITBY -- Sabrina Thompson, top, Kiara Gaskin, left, Erykah Mackie, middle, and Emily Doucette, members of the Whitby Courthouse Theatre Youth Group, are playing The Cardsmen in an upcoming performance of 'Alice in Wonderland Jr.' They were promoting the show during the first World Fest Whitby at the McKinney Centre on May 3. ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland Town's first cultural festival draws in the crowds