A program that helps preserve Aboriginal culture is among the first recipients of funding from the IRT Foundation's inaugural Community Grants Program.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 12-month program called Capturing Culture will provide more opportunities for Illawarra's Coomaditchie elders to share stories with youth.
IRT Group chief executive Nieves Murray will present a commemorative certificate to Coomaditchie and other funding recipients on Tuesday.
As part of the event, guests will enjoy performances from the Illawarra's Arcadians Lamplighters Male Choir and Illawarra Festival Chorus.
The Community Grants Program is part of IRT Group's commitment to give back $20 million to the community by 2020.
Through the inaugural grant round, almost $150,000 will be invested in local initiatives and projects that provide practical solutions for achieving age-friendly communities and improving the lives of older Australians.
The Coomaditchie are saltwater people of the Dharawal-speaking Wodi Wodi nation, who have been the Aboriginal custodians of land on the east coast of NSW from Botany Bay to Nowra for thousands of years.
But some Coomaditchie elders have become socially and technologically isolated as a result of society's increased reliance on electronic mediums.
Conversely some Aboriginal youth have lost connection with Coomaditchie culture and language as story-telling opportunities have decreased.
The $18,760 in funding for the Capturing Culture project will bring together about 50 Aboriginal elders, youth and children to share and tell stories through a diverse range of mediums.
Participants will range in age from four to 80 years.
"This is the first time such a project has been run in the Illawarra and it is hoped the whole community will benefit from improved recording and telling of culturally significant stories," Ms Murray said.
The project will culminate in a public exhibition in mid-2016 of story-telling artworks for sale to the public, including short films, photography, paintings, sculptures and books.
It is thought the project may help grow the Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation's existing art social enterprise and provide an income for project participants.
The Coomaditchie United Aboriginal Corporation has partnered with Beyond Empathy to deliver the project.
