By Jessica Anstice
The sun was shining down on Pakenham’s St Patricks Primary School for a fundraiser colour run on Saturday.
Eleven88, a team that runs dance programs with the theme of ‘self-worth’ in local high schools, organised the successful event.
The dance team runs weekly programs at Officer Secondary College and Pakenham Secondary College, facilitating workshops discussing topics such as body image, resilience, and dreams and goals.
At the end of each year, Eleven88 conducts a dance camp for the students in the program to show off their dance skills, be involved in workshops, and further learn of their worth.
“Our mission is so empower youth to reach their potential and be all they can be,” Eleven88 dance coordinator Lauren Stebbins said.
“We believe in shining a light on difficult issues young people face and encouraging and supporting them through their teen years.
“We have a core team who are passionate about seeing change in our community.”
In July, Eleven88 travelled to Sri Lanka and ran numerous self-worth workshops in six different regions.
The team used dance, stories, and activities to spread the message of hope with the poorer communities.
Saturday’s colour run saw over 70 people participate to raise money for Eleven88’s ongoing projects, both overseas and in the local community.
The event consisted of live music, stalls, food, performances by the Eleven88 team and two colour runs.
“You could run, walk or dance around the course, but the faster you went the more colour you were drenched with,” Ms Stebbins said.
“We had lots of great feedback from the community and we are very keen to make this an annual event and get more people from the community involved.
“We would like to thank St. Patricks Primary School for allowing us to host our event at their facility.”
Members of the community were invited to signup online and fundraise by sharing their link with family and friends.
