22 June 2009
Story-telling the way to aspiration and self esteem
The Wakakirri Outback Festival which kicks off in Broken Hill today aims to improve understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures among the broader Australian community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Wakakirri Patron, Tom Calma said today.
Commissioner Calma said the national performing and visual arts festival comprised five days of workshops designed to empower students through the process of telling and sharing stories.
“The Wakakirri Outback Festival is a national story-telling festival which builds and forms bonds in regional and remote communities at the same time as creatively teaching numeracy and literacy skills,” Commissioner Calma said.
“Wakakirri challenges students to create a story and to make a positive impact in terms of what they learn, what they hoped their story taught others and how they may have made a difference to the world around them.
“Students’ self esteem also grows through telling stories about who they are, where they live, and what their hopes and dreams are.
“Through the process of creating these stories, they learn about healthy lifestyle choices, career pathways and community pride,” he said.
Wakakirri schools will be visited by a team of teachers who will work with the school community to create stories using a variety of performing and visual arts techniques, including film, dance, singing and arts.
“In a great example of community-building, the festival brings the wider non-school community together to put on a live festival for the local community at the end of the five day workshops where the films created by the students are broadcast,” Mr Calma said.
Commissioner Calma said research had shown that the Wakakirri Outback Festival, which was funded through the federal government’s Community Festivals for Education Engagement Program, had demonstrated improvements in the resilience, tolerance, literacy, physical activity and health appreciation of students involved in the festival.
The festival story-telling will be captured on film and be included in an exhibition that tours around Australia and will be shown to every school participating in a Wakakirri event. It will also be broadcast online at www.wakakirri.com
The Wakakirri Outback Festival will be visiting three schools in Broken Hill from today until Friday 26 June. It will also be visiting three schools each in Katherine in the Northern Territory from 4-7 August and Ceduna in South Australia from 7-11 September.
For more information, visit www.wakakirri.com
Media contact:
Louise McDermott 0419 258 597 (for Tom Calma)
Arani Duggan 0488039682 (for Wakakirri Outback Festival)
