Shepparton's first Grass Snippets session a success

By Maddy Fogarty

Mar 8, 2021

Shepparton's all abilities playground hosted the first of eight Grass Snippets sessions earlier this month, welcoming women from South Sudan, Sudan and Iraq, their families and friends for the afternoon.

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Featuring guest speaker Eman Alabbassi, who gave an informal presentation on snakes in both Arabic and English, the sessions are designed to offer women from a refugee background a safe environment to discuss topics that interest them and build their confidence as community leaders able to take the information back to more newly arrived refugees in Shepparton.

Funded by Greater Shepparton City Council and VicHealth, the sessions are delivered by Project Partnerships as part of the Activities in the Park program.

Co-convenor Christine Nunn said the sessions provided a great social and educational environment.

“Grass Snippets provides an enjoyable social outing for the women with the added benefit of learning information about issues and concerns they want to understand and be able to respond to confidently,” she said.

“Engaging these women in these activities gives them the confidence to take this knowledge back into their own families and communities and help other refugee women recently arrived,” co-convenor Lorna Gillespie said.

Eagle Auto Panel will be presenting at the next session, to teach the women about all aspects of the aftermath of a car accident, with time to discuss other topics afterwards.

The sessions will be held every Saturday from 4 pm for the next seven weeks.

By Maddy Fogarty

Features and Special Publications co-ordinator