MEDIA RELEASE December2010
‘SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES’
Following in the great Aussie tradition of spinning a yarncomes a delightful new story book ”A IS FOR AUNTY Z AND IS FOR ZIGNI: AN ALPHABET BOOK OF AFRICAN STORIES” createdby some of Australia’s newest community members.
“A IS FOR AUNTY and Z IS FOR ZIGNI” has been compiled by Jesuit Social Services as part of an innovative community engagement and confidence building program involving mothers from Horn of Africa countries living in Melbourne’sFlemington Public Housing Estate and surrounding communities.
Sharing Women’s Lives is an activities-based program based on the exchange of information, stories and skills between African women, their children, local service providers, two project workers, local school communities and several groups of volunteers. The women devised the ‘Alphabet Book’ of African storiesin collaboration with Jesuit Social Services project worker Nancy Sugarman and local school children at Debney Meadows Primary School Flemington, who illustrated the colourful book.
The book reflects the African women’s personal and cultural stories and their desire to create a lasting cultural inheritance for the children and their community. Meeting on Monday’s for 28 weeks each session involved a writing component followed by group workshopping of each of the women’s stories. The women read their stories at Debney Meadows Primary to present their stories of culture to the children and inspire the young illustrators.
The project has encouraged the women to reflect on their traditions and shifting cultural identities as new Australians. Having young children in the local schools has created a desire in the women to enter into and engage with the education system as parent volunteers.
Jesuit Social Services has been working with the African community in Melbourne for 6 years.
The relationship between the African Community and Jesuit Social Services was formed when leaders from the African Community approached Jesuit Social Services based on the relationship the organisation had with the Vietnamese community over many years.
Jesuit Social Services works to build a just society where all people can live to their full potential by partnering with community to support those most in need and working to change policies, practices, ideas and values that perpetuate inequality, prejudice and exclusion
“A IS FOR AUNTYand Z IS FOR ZIGNI: an alphabet book of African stories”
released6 pm Monday 13th December 2010 at
DEBNEY MEADOWS PRIMARY SCHOOL, 100 Victoria Street Flemington
For more information please contact:
Paul Stewart Project Manager Jesuit Social Services on 03 9427 7388 or 0430031630
Nancy Sugarman, Project Coordinator, Sharing Women’s Lives, 9376 2033