Changing Minds Changing Lives
May 1, 2020
You know we love stories. Today, as we head into our final week of fundraising for our Creative Partnerships Australia Plus 1 campaign, we thought we’d tell you ours.
In 2015, Caroline Wood shelved her plans for a quiet life, and quelled the fears of her children that she might become a helicopter parent and grandparent. Instead, with her husband John, she created the Centre for Stories.
Caroline’s involvement in the publishing industry in Australia made her realise that the industry did not reflect the composition of the Australian population, and she wanted to change that. Sure, there were organisations in Perth for writers, for writing, for publishing, for books, for literature. But she wanted something different: a safe and inclusive space where the craft of written and oral storytelling could be taught and shared on multiple platforms. And so, the Centre for Stories was born, in a lovingly restored beautiful heritage building on Aberdeen Street, with a lush native garden planted out the front.
Reflecting on the last four years, we’re pretty proud of ourselves: the Centre has trained over 35 emerging writers, 90 oral storytellers, hosted events about four times a week for four years, and offered internships to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Our storytellers have won national awards, performed on local and national theatres, and our podcasts are reaching listeners all over the world.
Today, we’re reaching out to all of you – our community of storytellers, readers and listeners to continue our work. The Centre officially received tax deductible gift recipient status in November 2019. Soon after that, we were successful in our Plus 1 application, which gives us matched funding, dollar for dollar, to a total of $15,000. This funding will unlock opportunities we’ve only dreamed of.
This is our last weekend to raise this money. If you can, please chip in now to support our dreams.
Photo by Leah Jing
Help us do more
We’re on a mission to create a diverse, inclusive, and cohesive society through the art of storytelling. Join us in supporting emerging artists and sharing powerful stories from across our community.
