By CASEY NEILL
HEARTFELT words from a Noble Park student inspired an edgy artwork on a classroom wall.
Berry Street project Heartcore will collate creative writing and poetry from traumatised and disadvantaged young people in a coffee table book.
Victorian street and contemporary artist Kaff-eine is painting street art to match, and photos of her work will illustrate the book.
She created a piece at the Berry Street School’s Tower Court campus late last month.
Campus senior education manager Sue Nilsen said the painting was particularly significant because it illustrated a piece of writing done by one of the students at the school.
Berry Street School is the last resort for many students as they’ve had to leave other schools for social or behavioural reasons.
In their creative writing course they cover issues such as family violence, anxiety, self-harm, forbidden love and neglect at home.
Some of these gritty accounts will appear in Heartcore which is to be published in mid-September.
“We see this project as a great opportunity to let our students tell their own stories in their own words and have them published in creative and professional form,” Ms Nilsen said.
“At the same time, all proceeds from the book will support Berry Street’s work with children and young people in similar situations to our students.”
Berry Street has provided foster care, child protection, youth, family violence and community services to Victorian children and families for more than 130 years.
