Our Yarning is a free library of books and educational resources created by and for First Nations people. Our Yarning aims to address the disproportionate impact of illiteracy and low education attainment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
The collection provides children with access to ‘mirror’ books written by First Nations people, reflecting diverse cultural identities from regional, remote, rural and urban communities.
Research shows that children achieve more when they begin their learning journey reading stories that reflect the lived experiences of their community and their history, engaging children to become life-long learners. Education is the foundation to future improved life outcomes, breaking cycles of disadvantage.
Writers Workshops are our unique tool to both gather stories for the Our Yarning collection and engage adults in the value of literacy. Library For All works with communities to create ‘mirror’ books that tell the stories that matter and reflect the lived experiences of children.
“We are very excited to see cultural stories come to life and believe it will make a transformational impact on literacy attainment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across Australia.”
We respond to invitations from communities across Australia to hold Writers Workshops. We’d love to hear from communities interested in hosting workshops where participants can become published authors while learning about the value of literacy.
The Our Yarning Advisory Group provides cultural advice and support to guide the collection. Their input helps to uphold cultural integrity, safety and respect.
At a Newman, Western Australia, Writers Workshop with the local Women’s Centre and the Martu Patrol, one participant was very keen to be involved with Our Yarning but felt nervous due to low literacy.
Noticing this, the Library For All facilitator took action to make the participant comfortable. The two sat in the safe space of the participant’s patrol car. While the participant shared her story ideas, our facilitator scribed.
The manuscript collected that evening is now a published book called Bush Fright, written by a very proud author.
The growing collection of books is available for free on the Our Yarning app. The books can also be purchased as colourful printed resources to engage children with their reading.
