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St
Luke's Innovative Resources
137
McCrae St
Bendigo
3550 Australia
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Innovative
Resources
Training
2007
Upcoming
workshops in
Victoria
22-23
October 2007
Bendigo,
Victoria
The
Travelling Toolshed
24
October 2007
Bendigo,
Victoria
Tools
for
Team-building
Like
to know more about how our cards, books,
stickers and other resources can be used
to create strengths-based conversations
and foster creativity in a variety of settings
and situations?
Why
not host an Innovative Resources workshop
at your organisation or within your professional
network!
We
are happy to travel anywhere, and
offer workshops from four hours to two days.
We'll even custom-build a workshop to suit
your specific needs.
For
more information contact our training coordinator
Linda
Crawford
click
here
to
view our training page
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Want
to read more stories, reviews and feedback
from Innovative Resources' publications?
Visit
the Strengths Cafe
click here
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Building
self-esteem through creativity
For
three years now I've been lucky to be
part of an innovative program that encourages
young people to explore their creativity
through writing and illustration.
At
Trentham Primary School in the Central
Highlands of Victoria, Australia, grade
four students have the opportunity to
create and publish their own book.
The
program begins with a week-long intensive
'writers' camp'. The students spend the
first day of camp with popular children's
author Justin D'Ath who really gets their
creative juices flowing and encourages
them to think about important aspects
of storywriting such as plot, character,
dialogue and setting. Justin inspires
the kids to use the 'what if?' approach
to writing and to follow their ideas,
no matter how zany, to create an exciting,
emotional, suspenseful, or just plain
hilarious, story.
The
students spend the rest of their week
rewriting, carefully editing, and illustrating
their books, before they are finally printed,
bound and ready for the world to see.
In past years the books have been put
on display in a local cafe for members
of the the community to read.
 This
year the process went a step further,
with an official book launch at Aesop's
Attic bookshop in the neighbouring town
of Kyneton. Families, teachers and children
gathered for a celebration of the students'
creativity and a special literary awards
ceremony, which I was honoured to host.
The
awards ranged from the Look Who's Talking
Award for the most unexpected line of
dialogue ('Would you mind getting off
my quills,' said the echidna. - by Jayden
Servos) to the Best Simile Award ('He
was shot down like a rabbit with no legs
in hunting season' - by Conor Vernal).
Every
student won an award for something outstanding
in their story and was awarded a book
and certificate. There were proud smiles
all round - from students, parents and
teachers.
In
a society that marginalises creativity
at every turn, it was inspiring and heartwarming
to be involved in this small moment of
celebration and affirmation. If we nurture
and encourage creativity in our young
people, who knows where it can lead.
John
Holton
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'If
you put a small value on yourself, rest assured
that the world will not raise your price.'
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Coming soon ...
Compiled and edited by John Holton
Mental
health is one of the most pressing issues
facing society today and into the future.
It is estimated by the Department of Health
and Aging in Australia that mental health
problems and mental illness will affect more
than 20 per cent of the adult population in
their lifetime. Countless individuals and
families are currently facing mental illness
alone and unsupported. The truth is, very
few of us remain untouched by mental illness.
When
it comes to any discussion about mental health,
whether at a political or community level,
carers are often the forgotten part of the
equation. There are hundreds of thousands
of people whose lives are changed forever
by caring for someone with a mental illness;
who struggle daily with the demands of this
role and all the challenges associated with
it. Caring is a delicate balancing act like
no other, often performed without a safety
net.
But
how many of us really know the carers' stories?
 Caring
… and other highwire acts gives carers
in the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria, Australia,
a voice; a chance to tell their stories honestly
and anonymously. While the stories in this
book are drawn from one region, they are also
the stories of many families from many places.
You will find stories of mothers, fathers,
partners, siblings, friends and children –
all carers of someone experiencing the highwire
balancing act of mental illness.
In
presenting these stories we are aware that
we cannot possibly do justice to the experience
of what it's like to care for someone with
a mental illness; what it's like to grieve
for the loss of our hopes and dreams for our
child; to battle on a daily basis within our
home and within our health system; to perhaps
even face the on-going horror of losing a
loved one forever. No one can know what this
is like unless they have lived it. And for
each person and for each situation it is different.
Caring...and other highwire acts
contains stories of heartache, stories of
grief and loss, and stories of great courage.
Walking the tightrope of mental illness can
be all these things and more. But through
these stories too, you will see that amid
the pain there can be moments of hope, even
exhilaration and humour, when the fear of
falling is cast aside and love makes anything
seem possible.
If
you are in the position of caring for someone
who is experiencing a mental illness, or know
someone else who is, the following services
may be of assistance to you:
Lifeline:
13 11 14 (24-hour crisis hotline)
Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800 (online counselling available at: www.kidshelpline.com.au)
Carers
Victoria : 1800 242 636
Carelink:
1800 052 222
ARAFEMI
(Association of Relatives and Friends of the
Emotionally and Mentally Ill): (03) 8486 4200
(national organisation)
Mental
Illness Fellowship: (03) 8486 4200 (national
organisation)
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'I
feel the capacity to care is the thing
which gives life its deepest significance.'
Pablo
Casals
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Kids' cards in India
Recently,
as part of a year
off between leaving school and starting university,
I volunteered for five months in Tamil Nadu, South India, with Students
Partnership Worldwide. I worked with
a team of local and international volunteers
in a rural village on projects with young
people covering topics such as sexual
health, nutrition, sanitation and self-esteem.
My
mum, Belinda
Hopkins, uses Innovative Resources card
sets in her work with conflict resolution
with children in the United Kingdom and sent
me a pack of Strength
Cards for Kids.
Children in Tamil Nadu having fun with Strength
Cards for Kids
After
translating the cards into the local language,
we used them with our teens club, summer camp,
and a group of girls who'd dropped out of
school. They were a huge success. The kids
loved the illustrations, and the activities
were simple enough to break down the language
barrier.
Bryony
Hopkinshaw
Read
more about Strength Cards for Kids at
www.strengthscafe.com
Students
Partnership Worldwide (SPW) is an international
non-government organisation that recruits
and trains young adults, aged 18 to 28, as
volunteer Peer Educators, to lead programs
that address urgent health and environmental
issues in Africa and Asia .
SPW
currently has more than 800 volunteer Peer
Educators in the field reaching 400,000 young
people each year at an annual cost of just
$9 per child.
For
more information about the work of SPW visit:
www.spw.org
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'Can
I see another's woe, And not be in sorrow
too? Can I see another's grief, And
not seek for kind relief?'
William Blake
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New
on Our Shelf List...
Someday
Author:
Alison McGee, Illustrator: Peter Reynolds
'Sometimes, when you sleep,
I watch you dream, and I dream too...'
'One
day I counted your fingers and kissed each
one'. So begins Alison McGee's beautiful meditation
on the mother/daughter relationship.
The
narrative of this emotionally charged little
book follows the life of a mother and daughter,
celebrating the everyday moments that mark
milestones in both their lives; not only the
joys and revelations, but also the inevitable
pain and suffering.
Subtly,
the emotion builds as the mother imagines
the experiences her daughter might have in
the future.
'Someday,
I will watch you brushing your child's hair'.
Eventually
we come full-circle, to silver-haired woman
sitting on a verandah.
'Someday,
a long time from now, your own hair will glow
silver in the sun ... And when that day comes,
love, you will remember me'.
Peter
Reynolds' deft pen and ink watercolour illustrations
and hand-printed lettering lend a familiarity
and childlike innocence to McGee's ode to
the potential of love and the importance of
family.
John
Holton
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'The
woman who bore me is no longer alive,
but I seem to be her daughter in increasingly
profound ways.'
Johnnetta
Betsch Cole
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Moving
Towards Hope
Young
People, parents and workers talk about the
importance of connectedness in moving beyond
homelessness
Moving Towards Hope is a new DVD
that highlights the struggles of youth homelessness
and explores a family inclusive approach to
this long standing problem in our communities.
 The
result of a collaboration between St Luke's
and Melbourne City Mission, the DVD features
a series of interviews that follow the journeys
of young people, parents and workers who have
all experienced the challenges, aspirations
and learnings that come with youth homelessness.
There
are no actors used in Moving Towards Hope.
These are real people speaking honestly and
candidly about their lives.
Aimed
at the workers who deal with young people
and their families at the 'coalface' of youth
homelessness, the DVD raises some important
questions:
- What
is family?
- What
does being connected to a family mean for
the young people we support?
- What
does family-inclusive practice look like
in the context of family conflict and youth
homelessness?
- What
are some of the challenges of family-inclusive
practice?
- What
skills and approaches are required in working
with young people and families, and in which
situations?
- What
can we do as teams and organisations to
support a family-inclusive approach?
Ultimately,
the stories in Moving Towards Hope
achieve what the title suggests - the hope
of some form of resolution and a way forward
in what can often seem like tragic and irredeemable
circumstances.
Family
can mean different things to different people,
and the subjects of these interviews certainly
come from a variety of backgrounds and situations.
What they all share is a belief that where
there is love and respect, there is hope.
View
this resource on our website
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'Hope
is the thing with feathers - That perches
in the soul - And sings the tune without
the words - And never stops at all.'
Emily
Dickinson
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SOON
mailbox
Dear
John,
It
was one of those spontaneous moments when
I found myself having to take a seminar
at short notice. The topic was Narrative
Therapy and the resource that came to
hand was Symbols.
With the contents of the neat little tin
spread across a table, I invited the students
to choose two cards each. The aim of the
exercise was to demonstrate 'thin' and
'thick' narratives (or accounts) and the
importance of searching for 'thick' or
rich narratives in this therapeutic approach.
The
students worked in pairs giving a brief
account of why they had chosen their two
symbols. The accounts were typically 'thin'.
After some discussion of the importance
of eliciting 'thick' accounts in Narrative
Therapy we returned to the cards. Now
each student helped their partner to develop
a more rich account of the symbols they
had chosen. During the feedback session
it became evident the discussion had,
indeed, become much more rich, and Symbols
had been an ideal choice!
Dr
Jennifer Lehmann
Department
of Social Work
La Trobe University, Bendigo
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'
Symbols are the imaginative signposts
of life.'
Margot Asquith
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Micro-story
My
Life as an Ambulance
By
Kelly Morrison
The
energy drains continually from my fingers
and toes.
Another
tick off the list – the endless futile list.
Rush ahead, keep ahead. It must be all wrapped
up, neat, even, ordered, thoughtful. The
day is marked. The day is measured and tested
– decisions made against your character
and will.
Am
I prepared? It lurks around every corner.
Stay on your toes. Stay focused. All goes
well until ... the emergency dash to the
doctor, dentist, orthodontist, party. The
summons to school, the fashion parade, dance
night, school competition. Don't stop moving.
Keep the ticks in order.
Catch
up now. It's been so long … fit me in, arrive
on time. Oh, but don't look now, there's
a problem, a worry, a new issue. Fix me,
fix her, hold it together. You're the expert.
What about this? What about that? Another
dash to hospital - patch up, put together.
Gather info, lecture. Promises.
Still
the energy drains from my fingers and toes.
The
edges are hardened, toughened to resist
rust and the hazardous conditions. The interior
remains empty. Room only for one at a time.
Fix it and move on. Faster and faster. Don't
stop now. No time. Need to keep moving.
They are all calling. Hurry the pressure
is on. It will fall apart any minute now.
You're the only one. We're counting on you.
We can't manage alone.
Still
the energy drains from my fingers and toes.
Rolling
downhill. Momentum is harnessed. Travel
for the next day, next crisis. Slowing.
The hard edges are heavy. We leave our one
and only passenger. All is well. Thank you.
Ambulance
body. Till next time. All in a day's work
we cry. We roll on. Life is lonely looking
for crises. Offering the kiss of life. Where
is my kiss of life?
Still
the energy drains from my fingers and toes
Pull
over. Time to stop. Out of Business. Siren
Off. Blending in. Softening and filling.
My feet are up. The energy beginning to
pool.
©
Kelly Morrison 2007
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SOON
