By Sahar Foladi
The launch of Know My Story on Wednesday 22 February celebrates and acknowledges the contributions of women in the community.
Organised by Wellsprings for Women, the exhibition will be launched at Harmony Square by City of Greater Dandenong Mayor Eden Foster between 10am to 11:30am.
CEO of Wellsprings for Women, Dalal Smiley, said this was a long-awaited project.
“Two years ago, we applied to do a project that documented the impact of migrants and refugees on cultural landscape of Dandenong. Due to the pandemic, it was progressing slowly but picked up a lot of momentum mid-last year.”
The exhibition highlights the great achievements of 10 women from different cultural backgrounds.
“We wanted to see how they’ve carried out their work, and how that impacted the culture and development of City of Greater Dandenong.
“As a women-only organisation, we’re always aware of the importance of highlighting and showcasing migrant women’s work at grassroots level. Because the majority of the time, their contribution is not recognised or visible.”
This was a challenge for the organisation as some of the women selected didn’t want to be featured at all.
“It took a lot of convincing to show them why it’s important to showcase their work. (Some were) also too busy working to tell their story,” Ms Smiley said.
“There’s very few migrant women rewarded for their work – they say the work they do is already rewarding and some even shy away from the spotlight. It’s amazing how women are quiet achievers.”
The opening of the exhibition is only stage one of the project. A short-form documentary and a print publication of the women’s stories are yet to be completed.
“They all have their unique stories and I think that Wellsprings has got a responsibility to show that even through their vulnerabilities and challenges, they’re capable of giving to their community and making an amazing impact through their talent and skills.
“We try to elevate women so that they’re not just seen from a deficit view but their strength is also shining.”
