Prosper (Project Australia) works to support disadvantaged children and young people (and their families); at home, at school and in the community. The organisation delivers this through a suite of prevention, early intervention, family support and community development programming. This includes: evidence- based parenting groups (e.g. Triple P, Tuning In To Kids, Circle of Security), playgroups, refugee and asylum seeker child-minding, family violence prevention for specific vulnerable cohorts, emergency relief for families in financial hardship, and community- building activities such as Prosper’s community kitchen.

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Prosper’s Stories in the Garden program is an award-winning education and wellbeing initiative that brings literacy-building storytelling programming to disadvantaged school communities through a structured schedule of education-focused storytelling, reading and creative events and activities. Working with storytellers from the Australian Storytellers Guild of NSW, Prosper developed the program in 2016 and has subsequently delivered the initiative in 80 schools across Greater Sydney with quantifiable positive evaluation results such as: improved school participation of vulnerable families, enhanced student literacy engagement and increased borrowing of school library books.

 

The program is tailored to individual schools, based on the needs of the community but in general commences with a whole-of-school community development event, that is supplemented by individual projects such as children’s workshops, in-class activities, and storytelling programs. Supporting resources such as book packs are also provided to schools to support the retention of program knowledge and encourage a sustainable use of the content.

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Waratah Education Foundation supported the delivery of the Stories in the Garden program in 12 key regional communities across NSW