Workshops to teach storytelling

ORGANISERS behind a workshop program are looking to help the region’s multicultural communities uand beyond tonlock their narrative capabilities.

Delivered by the Centre for Multicultural Youth, the Living Stories initiative includes four free workshops delivered at Barkly Square, each focusing on different mediums.

“It’s to empower and upskill multicultural youth (12 to 25 years old) especially to tell stories and explore creative ways of doing that,” creative producer Diana Paez said.

“I want them to realise everyone’s story is important and that they actually have very interesting things happening in their lives or in their community, and to give them tools of expression.

“Not everyone expresses themselves in the same way. Not everyone considers themselves arty.

“That’s ok here. We’ll have four different workshops on different artforms each run by a different local artist.”

A session on oral storytelling will be held on Wednesday 26 February hosted by magician and theatre-maker Em Chandler, after which stage performer and director Lynden Nicholls will lead a performing arts workshop on Wednesday 12 March.

Paez, a documentary filmmaker, will lead the final session, focusing on storytelling through her own creative practice, whset toich will coincide with Harmony Week on Thursday 20 March.

Work created during the final sessions will feature in the Ballarat International Foto Biennale later this year.

“I will also be creating a short documentary ideally with whoever wants to be involved in telling their story or helping with production,” Paez said.

“The idea is to have that hands-on experience, and we’ll explore different ways of showing it to the community.”

The project is backed by Regional Arts Victoria.

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