Juntos contigo: Apoyándonos
As a response of unprecedented times (COVID-19 pandemic) which have tested our resilience and have limited our opportunities to fully participate into the Australian way of life, Latin Stories Australia developed this project to support our Spanish speaking community during these challenging times.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?
It is about connecting with your resilience, sense of belonging, and empowerment.
The project consists of:
(1) FREE ONLINE AND INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS IN SPANISH covering the topics of empowerment, inclusion, isolation, sense of belonging, and resilience. We explore practical skills and ideas to make you feel included and build resilience in times of crisis. We also provide useful information for further reference..
(2) After participating in the workshop, participants have the opportunity to attend SUPPORT GROUP SESSIONS run by Momentum Psychology. These support groups serve as vehicle to continue the conversations from the workshops and to network with like minded individuals.
Previous interactions and our impact
During 2020, we delivered 6 sessions for the community. In total 109 people from 8 different countries, mainly from Colombia, Mexico and Argentina participated on the workshops.
Overall, the feedback suggests that the workshops were successful in achieving its outcomes:
96% have a better understanding of other people experiences
92% identified their strengths and learnt strategies to overcome isolation and loneliness
91% felt more connected with other people
90% felt safer to participate in activities that are relevant to them and their wellbeing
88% identified forms to participate more in community
65% met someone new who they can call to have a coffee or in case of emergency
This project was a great opportunity to create community and increase connections – in particular given the lack of opportunities we experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in place. This was mentioned by the participants:
“The most important thing for me was to learn that sometimes we think we are alone, but the issue is that we do not find bridges to connect with each other.”
“Connecting with other Latinos and gent to know their experiences. Until now I didn’t have the opportunity to meet so many.”
In addition to that the comments the participants provided suggest that they learned strategies that will support them in the future to face their problems.
“I learnt new tools to manage isolation.”
"I feel happier and more connected to the world around me. I think this workshop has contributed to a healing process that I have embarked ever since I started to think about my identity more critically."
The project also gave opportunity to empower others: After the workshop and the follow up sessions, a participant decided to volunteer and develop another session for the participants. We provided the support to do this and run an extra session.
The 2020 project was supported by
@Latin Stories Australia