Young people will explore their heritage and share their family history during an international tea ceremony.

Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church invited the public to its Global Tea Exchange this month to enjoy presentations, music and culinary experiences, all spearheaded by children and teenagers.

Odiva Vassell, the church’s intercultural ministry leader, said the experience was a great way for youngsters to learn about their heritage and share it with others.

She added: “Growing up in school, if you have a different way of eating or living, a lot of people will base their impression of you on hearsay.

“This is a time to open up people’s eyes as to who you really are and the wonderful things that you bring to the table.”

The ceremony, led by the group InterNations Bermuda, will showcase brews and bites from Jamaica, Brazil, Portugal, Italy, the Congo, Kenya, India, the Philippines and Japan.

The event will take place on Sunday at the Hamilton Seventh-day Adventist Church Youth Centre on King Street at 4pm.

Attendees are to receive a “passport” to stamp all the countries they tried tea from.

Selections will include ginger chai from Congo, lemon balm tea from Portugal, ube lattes from the Philippines and moringa tea from Brazil.

Ms Vassell explained that she selected these nine countries because their influences had “steeped” Bermudian culture.

She added: “I did not want people just talking about their culture. I wanted the kids who were maybe third generation growing up in Bermuda but have a background from another country.

“I wanted them to take this as an opportunity to explore that background and be proud of it.

“There are not always opportunities to be proud of it.”

Ms Vassell said she got the idea of a multicultural tea party from hospitality magnate Martha Stewart, who hosted a similar event.

She said that tea was a universal concept present in all cultures, and thought it offered a fitting way to unite people and combat harmful stereotypes.

She explained: “I think this would open their eyes to the idea that there’s so much more to explore than maybe what they’ve seen on the news.

“One thing that every country and every culture has in common is that TV news reports the bad thing that’s happening and that’s what people tend to walk away with.”

Ms Vassell added: “I would hope that not only people walk away with knowledge of a different country and some foods — but most of all, I hope they might make a new friend.

“We work among each other on a daily basis but we don’t always have opportunities to talk about our cultures.”

Ms Vassell said the event was open to anyone who wished to “expand their horizons”.

She added that InterNations Bermuda might hold a similar gathering depending on the popularity of this event.

• Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at ptix.bm