Photos: Students from North Geelong Secondary College and Northern Bay College Goldsworthy Campus at a storytelling & public speaking CMY workshop.
Public speaking is something many of us shy away from, but last week 19 highschool students put their hand up for the challenge.
The students from North Geelong Secondary College and Northern Bay College Goldsworthy Campus, all from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, participated in a full-day storytelling and public speaking workshop facilitated by Jess and Hashwina from the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY).
Hashwina, like many of the students who attended the workshop on Friday, was born and raised overseas before coming to live in Australia. Hashwina has been trained as a Shout Out speaker* to share her experiences and views with a wider audience in CMY events and forums.
Throughout the workshop, students had a variety of opportunities to present in front of their peers to tell stories, talk about their passions, and share their lived experiences.
In the morning most students were shy; speaking softly and often nervous when they were asked to present. By the end of the day, while the nerves were still there, the increase in confidence and encouragement from one another was astounding. After this workshop, participating students will also be invited to attend further training and practice as speakers in the Settle Well programs and activities.
“Last time I did a presentation, I had two months to prepare,” said Nestor, CatholicCare Victoria Settle Well Program Coordinator, as he spoke to the students at the end of the workshop. “But you had just one day to prepare your presentations, and you did such an amazing job!”
We would like to thank Jess and Hashwina from CMY for facilitating this engaging workshop, for their strengths-based approach to teaching, and the positive encouragement they gave to all students.
This workshop was run as part of CatholicCare Victoria’s Geelong Settle Well program, supporting refugee young people and mothers in the Geelong region.
*Learn about Shout Out speakers here.
Liz Gellel | Communications Coordinator
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