MEDIA RELEASE | 27 February 2009
African parents to broadcast their stories
Multimedia stories of Sudanese and Central African families will form the
centrepiece of a new parenting information pack developed by Information and
Cultural Exchange (ICE) for the NSW Department of Community Services (DCS).
Under the Parenting Stories project, hundreds of Sudanese and Central African
families will contribute to discussions on parenting, and thousands more will
hear the stories broadcast on the radio or through multimedia information
packs.
Starting in February and funded through the NSW Department of Community
Services, the 12-month project will begin with story-sharing sessions with
refugees and recently arrived migrants as they deal with settlement, cross-
cultural issues and the new legal context.
Participants will then learn how to start from scratch to shape their stories into
radio pieces and online digital stories at ICE's Switch Multimedia and Digital Arts
Access Centre in Western Sydney. Using industry-standard equipment and
software, participants will develop skills in digital production, audio recording
and storytelling.
The stories will be produced into broadcast-quality recordings for distribution
in five different community languages. ICE will distribute the packs widely,
targeting community and ethnic radio, interagencies, service providers,
community leaders and members.
'This project will open discussion on parenting and the pressures on families
arriving from a completely different cultural context,' says Lena Nahlous,
Director of ICE. 'Many families are struggling and they don't know that others
face exactly the same problems and that there are resources out there to help.'
Packs will include a CD recording of stories, as well as information and referral
resources. The campaign will be monitored and community feedback
encouraged to ensure the pieces receive regular airplay, and that the CD and
information packages reach their target audiences.
Place are still open for Sudanese and Central African families to get involved –
contact Saleh Saqqaf, Parenting Stories coordinator, on 9897 5744 or
saleh.saqqaf@ice.org.au.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Contact Saleh Saqqaf at ICE on 02 9897 5744 or email
saleh.saqqaf@ice.org.au.
ICE receives core funding through Arts NSW and the Australia Council for the Arts.
NEWS 
