Escare Working with Communities

Empowering Communities Program

Empowers people and communities to be connected
and to provide inclusive places where people feel they belong, are valued and can contribute.

Paint Esperance Red

A new whole of Community Early Literacy Project is happening in Esperance…..Look out for the splotches for PAINT ESPERANCE REaD.  Contact Natalie Symonds on  9071 3110 or email natalie@escare.org.au

Community Capacity Building with our Networks

Interagency

Escare team members sit on a number of inter-agency groups and forums to help deliver services in partnership to the Esperance Community. These include: Early Years Network, Esperance Community Arts and  Lifespan.

Community

Escare offers Community Education workshops and activities for individuals and families providing the opportunity to build on, link to and develop supports networks and resources. 

Other community support networks are invited to attend, partner or provide their resources at these events/programs so that community members are aware and familiar with all services and options in Esperance.

Early Years Network

The Early Years Network is an inter-agency group that helps to assist children and families. Past projects have included creating and maintaining the Esperance “Kids Stuff” booklet, which contains vital local information and services for children and their families within Esperance and the surrounding district.

The Early Years Network received  funding for  the above project  from the Department for Communities as well as to promote breastfeeding in the Esperance community so mothers feel at ease breastfeeding in public spaces. This was successful in helping work places to establish places where women and babies can comfortably feed.”Breastfeeding protects babies from illness and infection, provides the perfect food, aids development of eyesight and speech, and promotes a special loving bond between mother and baby. Artificially fed babies have increased risk of illness and allergies, costs approx $1500 for 1 year and is less environmentally friendly.”

The Early Years group meets regularly at Escare.  Everyone is welcome. Any organisations wishing to get further information can contact Nat Symonds or Jo Aberle at  Escare on 9071 3110

Escare Partnerships

Escare has strong working partnerships with Esperance Community Arts, Esperance Seawater Families, Tjaltjraak Native Title Corporation in the First nations Womens Arts and Culture Group Yorga Barmah (Established in 2006) as well as  at NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week activities. We celebrate with many groups the National  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Childrens Day on August 4 at our Outside School Hours

Yorga Barmah is a place/space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The group commenced in 2007 at the invitation to Escare to seek funds by local Nyungar Woman, Gail Yorkshire Selby. It was and still is,  an inter generational group for local Aboriginal women to continue learning. Women asked for the same name to be used when Escare won the Empowering Communities tender and had capacity to strengthen existing partnerships with Esperance Community Arts, Seawater Families and Tjaltjraak to continue this group through Aboriginal Arts funding.

It is free to attend and offers a wide range of activities including ‘On Country’ outings, art and craft, cooking and more and offers a crèche and transport.

The motto for Yorga Barmah is ‘Women, Inspired, Empowered, Connected’.  Escare aims to offer a safe space where women; can grow social connections, learn new skills, contribute their strengths and share a place to yarn and heal.  Gaining knowledge by sharing and connecting to culture and community is an important component of the group so connecting with Elders and Traditional Owners as well as other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and services in Esperance  helps participants to connect to the wider community.

Currently, Yorga Barmah is a partnership between Escare and Tjaltjaark Native Title Corporation and supported by Footprints to Stronger Families (Centrecare initiative).