A new social enterprise precinct in Bowraville is hoping to get their first ever community project up and going, thanks to the My Community Project initiative.
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The Bowraville Innovative Social Enterprise Precinct (BISEP) is a new organisation which aims to improve the quality of life for the people of Bowraville and the wider community, by building capacity to create meaningful engagement and employment opportunities.
If funded, the 'Yarn Up Bowra' project will bring back to life an unused radio studio for community members to record and preserve their stories.
And upon completion of the old 2NVR studio renovation, children and young people will participate in a series of workshops to learn valuable and transferable skills in multimedia, communication, social interaction, interviewing, podcasting and music recording.
Mentored by an Aboriginal Project Worker, the youth of Bowraville will become the next generation of interviewers, hosting a community podcast aimed at breaking down barriers and building relationships of understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community members.
This is a way forward for a broad cross-section of the Bowraville community, uniting young and old, sharing truth towards healing the past
- Marion Syratt
Gumbaynggirr man, Bernard Kelly Edwards, is also keen to utilise the space for private recordings as a healing tool for reducing the impact of inter-generational trauma and to preserve important yarns for future generations.
Recording and sharing stories of pride and resilience will have positive mental health outcomes for storytellers and listeners.
'Yarn Up Bowra' will provide a new outlet for creativity and learning, closing the generational gap and reducing cultural barriers.
Auspiced by the Bowraville Community Development Association, member Marion Syratt said she and others were looking forward to the former radio station premises being used again, especially for such a positive project.
"This is a way forward for a broad cross-section of the Bowraville community, uniting young and old, sharing truth towards healing the past, and up-skilling our future leaders".
Community members in the Oxley electorate who would like to support the project can cast a vote for 'Yarn Up Bowra: Discovering Stories of Pride and Resilience' at https://mycommunityproject.service.nsw.gov.au/projects. Supporters require a Service NSW account and a Medicare card number to vote.
