The Wakakirri Association
The Wakakirri Association is a not-for-profit association, incorporated in 2004 to run the Wakakirri National Story Festival, a national story sharing arts festival for schools that promotes sustainability. The Wakakirri National Story Festival is produced by Ad-lib Theatrical Productions and Event Management on behalf of the Wakakirri Association.
Wakakirri Association aims
- To teach children about themselves and others through the creation and sharing of stories
- To creatively develop the competence of Australian children, and through them the broader community, to think and act in an environmentally responsible manner.
Why Stories?
Story telling is the oldest form of learning.
‘When stories are exchanged, tellers and interpreters share their differing understandings of events and experiences. This sharing can result in rich and deep alignments. Stories provide a road to empathy, understanding and acceptance because when we share stories we become characters in our own stories as well as those of others. Simultaneously, we come to deeper knowledge of content, of others and of ourselves’ (Lowe, 2002, p. 75).
The four main objectives of the Wakakirri Association are to:
- Promote important community messages
- Promote sustainability
- Bridge cultural divides
- Provide a unique teaching tool for teachers
Wakakirri Association values ensure that:
- Wakakirri is accessible and affordable for every school and student in Australia
- Wakakirri makes extra effort to promote participation by indigenous communities
- Wakakirri provides support, training and resources for teachers
- Wakakirri supports other organizations by promoting their public health messages as potential story subjects to schools
- Wakakirri uses sustainable practice in Wakakirri office and management decisions
The Wakakirri Association Board
The Wakakirri Board is made up of independent board members from business, the Arts and education sectors. As an incorporated association, Wakakirri produces an annual report and is publicly accountable.
- President – Trudy Rodwell (Primary School Teacher)
- Vice president – Mathew Samuel (Primary School Teacher)
- Treasurer – Gerry Gilchrist (Accountant)
- Secretary – Adam Loxley (Founder Wakakirri)
- Member - Stephen Williams (Environmental Consultant)
- Member – Valerie Harrold (Primary School Teacher)
Correspondence:
The President
Wakakirri Association
PO Box 607
Newtown NSW 2042
Or contact the Wakakirri National Office.