This special project in Sarsfield was initially about helping local children deal with their trauma on the road to recovery. But 5 years on from the 2019-20 Eastern Victoria bushfires, it has done so much more than that, leading to healing for the whole town.
When the bushfires happened, decisions were made quick and fast. The children of Sarsfield saw and heard it all too, but without the life experience or agency to help them deal with what happened.
From this the Sarsfield Snaps project was born. Donated cameras were provided to more than 60 of the town's children, so they could document their lives and the recovery of the area.
'It became apparent pretty quickly that there was nothing available to support children. So, the project is actually an opportunity for children and young people in our community to be able to contribute to the recovery process and have their voices heard.' Tiana Felmingham, Sarsfield Snaps founder.
As the project evolved, producing calendars, books and several exhibitions, Sarsfield's children all got to know each other. This meant their families and other adults began to interact, growing everyone’s feeling of community and sense of belonging.
Tiana says, 'Prior to the fires Sarsfield was a community where people didn’t really know each other very well. The fires happened, and we talk often about rebuilding a community, but I would more accurately describe Sarsfield as building from scratch.
It was an exciting time to bring the young people and children from so many different families into the one place and give them the opportunity to connect for the first time.'
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