By Jan France (the coordinator at Warners Park Community Garden).
I’ve now lived in Willoughby for 40 years! I grew up in an Australian/Greek household and had a wonderful role model in my mother Lilian. Coming from an ethnic background, she was acutely aware of people being left out and marginalized.
I‘ve recently become a Grandma, or yiayia, and I’ve taken on the role of supporting my daughters by caring for my two toddler grandsons. I see this role as incredibly important, as it not only helps my daughters work but also helps build healthy boys who feel safe and part of the community. My other roles include running the local community garden and local environment group, and until recently, teaching English at the wonderful Mosaic Centre.
I play the ukulele (the happiest instrument) with a local group in the mall and at nursing homes in the area. I see all these roles as providing a happy, safe place for people to connect. The community garden is not just a place to grow organic food; it is equally important as a place to meet new people and share stories and gardening skills. Gardening is, of course, so basic to all cultures and encompasses all religions and beliefs. Sowing your own saved seeds, sharing the produce, and having morning tea with other gardeners is a simple act of connection and inclusion that anyone can join in. We recently had a new gardener join us from Vietnam, and even with very basic English, she is able to join in gardening and has quickly become part of the community.
Teaching English at the inspiring Mosaic Centre to women connects me with the broader multicultural community. Many of my students who come to class do not work or can’t work as they often come on spouse visas with their partners. Their children attend school, and they are left at home with no English and often experience loneliness and isolation. Giving them basic English skills helps them to connect to other people and gain some control over their lives. Having community connection gives us all a feeling of safety and that we are all in this together. Community gardening, teaching English, and working to save the environment are all things I care about.
Community volunteering gives me a sense of purpose and stops me from feeling helpless in this fast-changing world where all things we once thought were fixed, like the seasons, are now not reliable anymore. But through all this, it is human connection that is the most satisfying and grounding way to stay connected and inspired.
Note: This article was an excerpt of a speech to inspire ‘Inclusion’ at the 2014 International Women’s Day Event at Dougherty Community Centre in Chatswood. Find Jan or other volunteers every Sunday & Wednesday from 10.00am at Warners Park, Northbridge in Sydney, NSW.
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CFS was recently awarded a Volunteer Grant ($2,000) by the Federal Government with the support from Hon. Kylea Tink, MP for North Sydney. This fund will help us reimburse the cost of transportation of our volunteers and provide training to upskills.