Celebrating Families Week

With the help of a Country Arts SA Quick Step grant, the Streaky Bay Family Day Carers celebrated Families Week in Streaky Bay from Monday 13 May to Friday 17 May.  The Family Day Carers approached the Streaky Bay Childrens Centre to auspice the successful Quick Step grant application to Country Arts SA for $932.

Many of the weeks activities focused on exposing young people in the community to the powerful benefits of art.  On Wednesday 8 May, three artists from the Tjutjuna (Ceduna) Aboriginal Arts and Culture Centre delivered acrylic paints and clay workshops to aproximately 60 children.

The main objectives of the workshops were to:

• ~ Stimulate  creativity
• ~ Expand knowledge of different art techniques
• ~ Create an artwork
• ~ Promote understanding of the  traditional aboriginal culture of the Far West region.

The children learned through touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing,  experiencing many ways to express themselves.

Throughout the week children were encouraged and supported  by their peers, families and support  workers in a variety of activities across creativity, play, learning and interaction with others.  Dance workshops with popular BBoy Dreaded (Greg Potticary) were also offered to all children in the district aged 5 years and under.

The celebration of Families Week in Streaky Bay has established and reinforced partnerships and collaborations in the community, bringing together many differeing organisations and promoted building community capacity.  Stakeholders involved in Families Week were:

• Streaky Bay Family Day Carers
• Department of Education and Childrens Services
• Streaky Bay Childrens Centre
• Country Arts SA Western Eyre Officer (in partnership with the District Councils of Streaky Bay and Ceduna)
• Mid West Health, Country Health SA including:
• ~ Elmhaven Senior Resident Home
• ~ Youth Development Officer
• ~ Dietician
• ~ Allied Health Assistant
• ~ Community Activities Coordinator
• District Council of Streaky Bay
• Ocean Livin’ fitness
• Monica Sexton fitness
• Musicians including youth
• Family Day Care Australia and;
• Instep Dance Inc.

If you have any feedback or suggestions for a similar event in 2014 please contact

Ali Hein on (08) 8626 1680.

For advice on funding and support for arts projects contact:

Jayne Holland

Arts officer, Western Eyre

p: (08) 8626 1049

m: 0427 601 159

e: [email protected]

To find out more about Country Arts SA support and funding for regional communities and artists click here