Banyule Kids Thrive
songwriting and storytelling for positive communities
Big-spirited West Heidelberg kid and her grownup
An artist-in-residency partnership between Kids Thrive and six Banyule City child-focused organisations :
Charles La Trobe College (Main and Olympic Village campuses)
The Banyule Kids Thrive project will enable writer/director Andrea Lemon and singer/composer Andrea Rieniets to collaborate with children aged 0-8 years, their carers and children’s specialists in West Heidelberg (NE Melbourne) in song-making, storytelling and performance workshops.
Together the artists and community will create a suite of original songs and stories about life in West Heidelberg. These songs and stories will be performed in community concerts as a way of ‘changing our tune’, ‘telling a new story’ and ‘performing our best selves’ in West Heidelberg.
Would you like to support this life-changing program? Contact us
See the Kids Thrive Blog for updates and musings.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
SUPPORTED BY
and The Sycamore Tree Coffee Shop of the Heidelberg Uniting Church.
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InSchools Philanthropy
training a new generation of philanthropists
A training program in schools supporting students to become philanthropists in their local area. Community Bank branches of Bendigo Bank provide grants of up to $1000 for each project .
Grade 6 students working on their philanthropy idea
The kids use music, writing, play-acting, drawing and dance to understand philanthropy and create beautiful projects to benefit their communities.
The pilot is currently happening with imaginative young philanthropists in the catchment areas of East Ivanhoe and Heidelberg, and Clifroy Community Bank branches of Bendigo Bank.
We are working with six schools – government and private – to get the content and delivery style ‘in tune’.
CURRICULUM LINKS
- Civics and Citizenship
- Leadership
- Responsibility and Society
- Responsibility and Relationships
- Interpersonal learning
- Personal learning
- Communication
- Maths (budgeting)
- Developing leaders of tomorrow
- Engaging community.
So far the young groups have designed and delivered a fascinating range of philanthropic partnership projects with a diverse range of focuses and community organisations:
- Our Lady of Mercy College Heidelberg year 9 group provided a cupboard full of games and a games day for Ronald McDonald House kids with cancer centre. This came about when, at the site visit, one of our young women opened the games cupboard to find ‘the cupboard was bare! I felt shocked that kids with cancer would come from regional areas and long distances to be treated at the Children’s Hospital and have no games or fun while they stayed over.’
- Alphington Primary School ‘Girls Wackit’ project group is starting a girls’ cricket team in partnership with Alphington Cricket Association to support equal opportunity for girls in sport. They are also advocating for girls to join. Says 11 year old James of the Girls Wackit Group ‘Wouldn’t it be good if our team beat the boys!’
- Alphington Primary School Asylum Seekers Matter group is using their grant to supply essential emergency supplies and integration support for asylum seekers through the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in West Melbourne. They are also advocating within their local area for a more compassionate understanding of the needs of asylum seekers. ‘It’s terrible that people are running for their lives and then don’t get treated fairly when they arrive here’, said 11 year old Mel.
- St John’s Primary School grade 5/6 The Good Samaritan Inn Group feel strongly about supporting children fleeing domestic violence by providing toys for kids in a local women’s refuge. By purchasing trikes and other outdoor toys the philanthropy group wants young kids seeking refuge with their mothers to focus on fun outdoors while they are there.
- St John’s Primary School grade 5/6 Austin Little Green-Fingers team feel passionate about helping sick kids in hospital access the healing power of nature. They are contributing to the building of the children’s garden at the Austin Hospital, just outside the children’s ward. ‘Nature heals’, says 11 year old Bridget.
- Ivanhoe Grammar year 7 – 9 philanthropy group developed Greenery Scenery, providing Diamond Valley Special Development School with plants and tools to grow veges.
- East Ivanhoe Primary grade 5 Veg-Ed group expressed a belief that ‘even the youngest of children strongly influence the way that food is thought about in their homes’ and that by having a vege garden classroom the kids in the junior school could increase the healthy food choices of themselves and their families. The funds will go towards a vege box, tools and gloves for 5 – 7 year olds in East Ivanhoe Primary School.
- East Ivanhoe Primary grade 5 Working for Wildlife group felt so passionately about animal well-being that they are purchasing a much desired (and expensive) humidi-crib for rescued native animals cared for by Wildlife Victoria.
InSchool Philanthropy end-of-program reflection post-its from kids and adults
The age range of the philanthropists initiating and delivering these projects is 10-14 years! How exciting is that for the future of philanthropy?
This new generation of philanthropists promises to be highly imaginative and communally responsive.
See the Kids Thrive Blog for updates and musings
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
