first workshops address youth voice

Our first three workshops have focused on reaching the voice of young people in Hobart. The first workshop was conducted with a group of Visual Communication students at the Tasmanian School of Art in early October with writer Rosie Dub. The narratives written in this workshop focused on relationships with family and notions of an 'island' home. Texts which relied heavily on strong memories and seasonal changes on the island were a recurrent theme. Find a preview of these narratives below:

I hate not being anonymous.

I love how everyone knows everyone.
I hate how everyone knows everyone.

… and for the first time I realised that this small city was different. I don’t think we can refer to ourselves as being part of Australia…

… My dad passed away here. Although he had only lived here for 10 years of his life – and probably didn’t associate himself with here as home – all of my memories of him are associated with him…

Our second workshop focused on a group of younger, creative writing students form Hobart College. These students wrote about their hopes for the future, current concerns of safety, relationships with family and friends, and their hopes and fears of change in Tasmania. Find a preview of these narratives below:

“The place is not important, it’s the people, feelings, who and what you are surrounded by that make a life of a person good or bad in a particular place.

“I hate people with no dreams. They quit schools, quit college, quit jobs… everything is too much effort for them… they hate working and hate studying, not knowing who and what they will be in the next few years.”

“I really want to come back and settle down, start a family, have a well paying job, be happy and in love. That’s all I want.”

“There’s no shame in a bit of isolation.”

We look forward to our next series of workshops at Risdon Prison in December.