Community Development & Wellbeing through stories: Story Studio - Travelling Storyteller - Anna Jarrett storytelling

Anna Jarrett The Travelling Storyteller Based at Batemans Bay on the South Coast NSW, Australia "Connecting people & places through stories"

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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & WELLBEING My community development and creative arts projects and programs have a strong foundation of storytelling and social justice principles. Storytelling is a powerful, affordable and accessible way to build better, healthier communities which are full of hope, positive community spirit and understanding. Community storytelling programs build community capacity by valuing each individual’s uniqueness and strengthening the social bonds which connect individuals to their community. When we share our stories and our ideas, the bits and pieces that make up who we are seem to find form, meaning and value. Whether it be the retelling of a traditional cultural tale, the recording of a community story or the sharing of an original life story, storytelling has the innate power to help people make connections with each other and the world, gaining insights into our individual and collective past, present and future. Each community storytelling project/program is unique, as I consult with the community in the design and facilitation of the project/program. Storytelling also works well as a component of a larger project. My role as a storyteller/facilitator is to create an open and safe environment for people to remember, to create and to share their stories. The themes of the stories come from the memories, ideas and imaginations of the participating storytellers. The form of these stories ranges from the simple depths of a story circle to the colourful energy and excitement of sharing stories through music and drama. The ultimate aims of all community storytelling programs/projects are to empower individuals and communities to share their stories, to encourage communities to develop and support opportunities for storytelling and story listening within the community and to work with these stories to find locally based solutions to community issues. PROGRAMS & SERVICES Creative Workshops: creative storytelling, writing for performance, digital recording Professional Development Workshops: certificate and diploma training, guest speaker, conferences Strengths Based Community Education Programs: parenting, health & wellbeing Early Intervention Projects: regional tours, workshops and storytelling shows Accessible Arts Projects Artist Residencies: storytelling, writing School Programs: tours, camps, special events Story Circles Retreats: storytelling, women’s wellbeing, creativity, journeys Festivals: storytelling, community, children, women, arts, writing Special Event Design and Production Oral History Projects and Production Story and Creative Consultant CURRENT PROJECTS EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS The national initiative for Stronger Families and Communities has created new opportunities for me to share my story shows and workshops in numerous regional communities around NSW. Starting with Dubbo in Children’s Week 2007, I have also travelled to Cobar and throughout the Walgett/Gilgandra region, working with a diverse range of community, family and children’s service providers. The combination of modelling storytelling and music through shows, then facilitating storytelling in the community through workshops with carers, parents and educators, is proving to be a successful and powerful formula. It is refreshing to find that so many communities are looking for their own solutions to community issues and exploring creative ways to address the complex task of raising healthy, happy children and families. Funding and project partners include NSW Dept of Community Services (DOCS), NSW Dept of Education & Training (DET), Barnardos, Centacare, Mackillop Rural Community Services Cobargo Preschool. Photo Fiona Gross WRITERS ROADSHOW I’m developing a writers and performance project in partnership with the South Coast Writer’s Centre and the Eurobodalla/Braidwood Learning Community cluster of south coast schools. Spanning three years, we aim to build a supportive network and skills development program for regional young writers who are in the middle years (years 5 – 8). The program will include workshops, mentoring, production of a young writers event and a writers’ camp. Funding is currently being sought. RECENT PROJECTS POETRY WEEK PROJECT Poetry week is an annual event which is celebrated across Australia. I was invited by Mogo School to design and facilitate a project which would celebrate the creative community, develop literacy skills and build links between the school, home and the broader community. The project involved a storytelling show, student workshops, staff training, parent mentoring and a final performance of the students’ collaborative poems for Poetry Week 2006. The creative journey was a steep learning curve as performance poetry was a new form to the students. However, the outcomes were exceptional as students enjoyed becoming poets and poetry was seen as an exciting form of self expression. Funded by NSW Dept Education & Training Literacy grant, Hosted by Mogo P& C Project Subcommittee Mogo School Boys' Performance FREE FORM A multiarts creative workshop series for adults living with disabilities in the Eurobodalla Shire. The focus of these workshops is on affirming and empowering ability through skills development and creative storytelling (music, song, drama and visual arts). Coordinated by Eurocare Community Participation Program. Funded by NSW DADHC. Free Form Project, The Arty Party Celebration, Moruya July 2005 KANGAROO VALLEY PIONEER STORIES “HISTORY ALIVE!” The first stage of an oral history project which involved inviting local dairy farmers and people from pioneering families to share and to record the stories of their experiences of life in “The Valley”. Some of the stories were crafted into a permanent audio installation for the Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Museum Park, launched in History Week 2005. Coordinated by Kangaroo Valley Historical Society and funded by IMB Community Foundation. Making History Come Alive. Elsie Dewhurst cut the ribbon to launch the project "History Alive" with Doris Good, Doris Blinman & Anna Jarrett at Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Museum Park RENEWAL RETREAT FOR WOMEN An annual retreat in the Southern Highlands for women who have experienced domestic violence and are moving towards a safer, healthier, happier future. Coordinated by Illawarra Area Health Service, Funded by AVON. NSW LULLABIES AND BEDTIME STORIES A storytelling residency project in Illawarra primary schools. Storytellers Anna Jarrett and Lilli Rodrigues Pang facilitated a series of workshops on personal and cultural stories, working towards the opportunity to share these stories in the Storytelling Tent, as part of the Illawarra’s Southside Festival in Cringilla. Funded by Wollongong Small Grants and Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council.NSW Project Partners & Clients: Family and Community Strengths Conference, Convened by Family Action Centre Newcastle, NSW CONTACT Inc for Rural & Isolated Families, NSW Charles Sturt University – Early Childhood Education, NSW TAFE NSW Illawarra Area Health Service, NSW Barnardos South Coast Writers Centre Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre, Southern Highland, NSW Queanbeyan Multilingual Centre Eurobodalla/Braidwood Learning Community Schools As Community, Dubbo, Coonamble, NSW Mary Mackillop Rural Community Services, NSW Imlay Special Needs Groups, Bega NSW Mogo Public School, NSW Cringilla Public School, Wollongong, NSW Santa Sabina Ladies College, NSW Teenage Roadshow Illawarra Ethnic Communities Council, NSW Kangaroo Valley Historical Society, NSW Parramatta Heritage Centre, NSW Eurocare Community Participation Program, Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW Local Councils: Eurobodalla, Wollongong, Queanbeyan, Parramatta Funding Partners NSW Dept of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) Australia Council NSW Dept Education & Training (DET) NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) Dept Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) AVON Wollongong Small Grants IMB Community Foundation Custom designed storytelling programs and productions for community and corporate groups. Australia and worldwide. Bookings & Information: send email

Last updated, Tuesday May 13, 2008

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