Bushfire Recovery Storytelling Project
Our storytelling project was a collaboration between Andrea Ketterling and Danielle Carey. It aimed to build emotional resilience through therapeutic stories, creativity and play with Wild Ground families after the devastating 2019-2020 Bushfire Season.
The program ran for six weeks and was offered FREE to Wild Ground families thanks to our crowdfunding supporters after the Wild Ground’s private bushspace was destroyed by the fires.
The six weeks included the writing and performance of therapeutic stories written by Andrea and Danielle; song sharing; bushwalking, nature play, art-making using charcoal and other nature materials. Through a social media campaign we offered support, ideas and information for children’s recovery as Danielle documented the story of her own children’s recovery after their own house was almost destroyed. We also invited a WIRES volunteer to visit our program to provide an opportunity for the children to participate in animal recovery and support post-bushfires. The groups were able to help release two Kingfishers and a long-necked turtle at one of our favourite bush play areas on Darug and Gundungurrah Country.
The Tiny Bush Folk is a therapeutic poem inspired by the resilience and strength in the Blue Mountains community during last year's Australian bush fire season. Meeting our neighbours, helping friends or supporting strangers all became important endeavours over the summer months last year, a good reminder of the importance of community and friendship.
Incorporated throughout the poem is the concept of “Kangaroo Ears”, a nature connection practice adapted from Jon Young’s theories and practices. When you recite this poem to your loved ones, we invite you to take them outside with your own kangaroo ears, close your eyes and tune in to the sounds around you. Count them, talk about them, tell stories with them and use them to trace stories along memory lane… And we hope you enjoy coming up with some fun actions when echoing the sounds between you and your children!