Report by Jes Yogaratnam, ACHRE Executive Member
January 2022— Grant application with Bridging Lanka (Bridging Lanka – Connecting hearts across divides) to the Vic Department of Families Fairness and Housing called ‘Aus-Lanka’ Yarning Circle was successful. A small seed grant was provided with the possibility of applying for a large grant during the next round, which goes a long way for similar projects with related stakeholders to run reconciliation programmes on post-conflict dialogues with the diaspora communities in Australia (and country of origin) through a literary festival that has rights-based narrative.
Initially reported to the Committee the collaborative grant application was submitted to Victoria Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to convene a ‘virtual yarning circle’. This Grant was applied under DFFH’s call for applications in the multicultural grant category, with a local organisation called Bridging Lanka – Bridging Lanka – Connecting hearts across divides. The grant is aimed at an event for a particular ethnic groups to be celebrated at, for example Harmony Day, Multicultural Festivals and Events Program | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au).
Teaming up with local NGO Bridging Lanka to organise an event called Aus-Lanka Yarning Circle, the objective of the event is to feature peacebuilding and healing stories, to build community resilience. The event was inspired by a festival in Sri Lanka called ‘The Galle Literary Festival Galle Literary Festival | 2019. It is akin to a writers’ festival but more focused on celebrating the education and literary aspects of the Sri Lankan diverse communities and its diaspora. The idea of the Aus-Lanka Yarning Circle, is to set-up a live and virtual ‘yarning circles’ that features prominent poets, writers, spoken word artists who have a literary piece to share as part of their healing, peacebuilding and reconciliation process.