SharingStories workshops focus on skilling up Indigenous and marginalised young people in the use of digital media for the purpose of telling their own stories. The program provides, equipment which remains with participating communities, two week teaching intensives, teaching resources and support for ongoing content production and a moderated online platform for sharing content. It is designed to facilitate creative self representation, develop skills and build bridges between young people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds through creative dialogue and storytelling. www.sharingstories.org. The SharingStories team also includes an innovative curriculum consultant who works with teachers to design work units that allow culturally relevant digital storytelling to be developed and utlised as a creative way of achieving curricular outcomes. In Australia the program runs in Lockhart River and Palm Island, Qld, Elcho Island, Wugularr and Jilkminggan in the NT and Jarlmadangah and Bidyadanga in the Kimberley WA and Wilcannia in NSW.
Wynston filming his grandmother Wittadong and Uncle Mervin Mulardy telling the story of how she was dreamed through the boab tree.
Community members watching a music clip produced as part of a SharingStories workshop with Crusoe Gurtal about the Mimi spirits.
"My name is Gurtal I am the Mimi Songman, the djungkai (guardian) for the Mimi song. Itâs been passed from my father and my grandfather, itâs been passed on for a long time. This song is the traditional song, the Mimi spirit passed it on to the old people long time ago. The Mimi had the power to pass it on. The song is like a celebration, it calls out for the people to come and share food and the culture , all the family , itâs like a ceremony , even when people pass away, we celebrate, go hunting, all come together and sing the Mimi song."
Marvin with his grandfather John Daragah Watson during a SharingStories workshop at Honeymoon Springs. Kimberley.
Holly , Hosannah and Keira working on a story about bush medicine with cultural facilitator Annie Milgin. Jarlmadangah. Kimberley.
Classroom discussions with cultural facilitators Dorothy Short and Beverly Pasco after a bush tucker trip . A number of slide shows and music clips about bush food and medicine were produced as part of a SharingStories SOSE ( Studies of Society and Environment) unit ( see teachers resources) .
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