ETF NEWSLETTER:APRIL EDITION

4 down, 8 to go! With the middle of the year imminently approaching, we can look back on the achievements of ETF in this short time, and the exciting events taking place in the next few months. Welcome back once again to ETF’s monthly newsletter for our April Edition.

UPDATESBBQsIn mid April, ETF took on the Bunnings Warehouse BBQ at Randwick, an extremely successful venture. Combining our skills in frying and baking, ETF members took control of the sausage sizzle upstairs and the cake stall on the ground floor. A hint of friendly competition followed, to which our upstairs team prevailed with a total profit of $500. Our cake stall was by no means unsuccessful, raising a total of $300!

The importance of undergoing these local, grassroots fundraisers is huge for us. Encouraging involvement from our hometown is always the best place to start, especially being a community that has supported us so much in the past.

Throughout May, ETF will continue to host Bunnings’ barbeques, with the next date set for the 28th of May. Come down for a cheap feed and show your support!

MEETING WITH EDMUND RICE EDUCATION AUSTRALIA (EREA)Members of ETF’s core leadership team were given the opportunity to conduct a Skype call with the CEO of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) Emily Faller. Connecting the Sydney and Brisbane based callers, a discussion was held on the ‘next steps’ of ETF, moving forward with our goals.

EREA, operating under Comunidade Edmund Rice (CER) has a prolific presence in Timor-Leste and an admirable reputation in the field of education. Working from ties initially made with EREA upon the inaugural

trip to Timor-Leste in 2014, we were able to learn a great deal about thefoundational aspects of construction in Timor and the subsequent risks we must be weary of.

Additionally, brainstorming ways in which CER and ETF can work together in Timor-Leste to advance domestic education proved very successful. We look forward to reconnecting with EREA in May to develop our discussions.

Talking to educators who have completed many of the goals we set out to achieve is always a big thing for us. From deducing where we want to go from where we are, we can figure out a clear path on how to get there, something EREA has been very supportive of.

WORKSHOPApril saw the hosting of our third Workshop with the ETF volunteer team, creating and developing innovative ideas and solutions to address our aims. This month was particularly focused at expanding our partnerships and developing and clarifying our aims. Additionally, we centralised a particular focus upon our trips to rural NSW and Timor-Leste later in the year. The April workshop was consistent with the high level of quality in previous months.

Get to know our volunteer team! Our team are integral in creating and accomplishing many of the ideas we develop in pursuit of our mission. Responsible for the gruelling legwork that often transpires behind the scenes, the ETF team are of fundamental importance. From awareness-raisers and fundraisers to the development of foreign programs, and everything in between, without the support of our volunteer team, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Basic Biography

Max Shanahan, 18. Graduated from Waverley College in 2016 and currently studying a bachelor of International and Global Studies at the University of Sydney.

How did you get involved with ETF and how long has it been?

I went on the Waverley College Timor immersion. Myself and some of the other boys I went with knew of the work that ETF were doing and were keen to lend a hand. I’ve been involved with ETF for a couple of months now.

Have you enjoyed your time with ETF? What has been the highlight so far?

It has been enjoyable, and very informative. I didn’t realise how well-organised and official the organisation would be given that it is run by students. For me, it’s been interesting to see how much commitment is required behind the scenes to run and organise the charity before any of its goals can begin to be achieved.

VOLUNTEER TEAM MEMBER PROFILE : MAX SHANAHAN

What are you looking forward to in the future with ETF?

I’m definitely looking forward to going to Timor in July and hopefully initiating and progressing some of the programs we’ve been working hard on while we’re over here.

How do you feel about ETF’s actions in pursuit of our mission?

I think that ETF’s involvement with the community it seeks to work in, rather than just sending over money, is something which, although hard to cultivate, can be rewarding for both parties.

Why do you think the issue of education among disadvantaged communities is important?

The issue of education is incredibly important as it invariably sets up an individual for life. By increasing the quality and availability of education, disadvantaged communities can have the potential to advance and improve their situations into the future.

Do you feel your time with ETF has been rewarding?

Definitely so far. Although I have only worked for ETF for a few months, it has been especially rewarding to have the ability to see the programs you have helped design finally be created and hopefully implemented, which can have a tangible effect on people’s lives.

What would you say to someone who doesn’t know much about our cause but wants to get involved?

You don’t need to have an intimate knowledge of the places we work in. There are a vast variety of skill sets that can be utilised by ETF and more help is always in great demand. It has the potential to make a lasting impact on people’s lives and can also be personally rewarding.

After pulling several strings we didn’t think we had access to, ETF was able to secure an interview with Maya Gonzalez Perulo, a 12 year old student, and her mother Nina. Having grown up and currently living in Bacau, Timor’s second largest city, Nina characterises life as ‘difficult.’ Situated over 100 km from the capital, Nina continues to centralise her life around the education, development and prosperity of her daughter.

It is no surprise that the challenges faced by Maya and Nina in Bacau are consistent with the issues we’ve witnessed among the other regions and the capital itself; Dili. The same deficits of a seldom access to education, a questionable value of prospects and various physical difficulties continue to emanate. Nina reiterates that “education

is the most [important] thing for her daughter” and continues to state nothing can stand in the way of Maya and her dreams. “She is [a] smart girl” Nina says, and “can do many good things through education.” To this, Maya agrees that education can foster a better future for herself, her peers, her family and community. It is not the action of going to school itself, but the “whole experience of education” that Maya enjoys. The mentality toward education in Timor-Leste does need amendment, amongst her peers, Maya states many of the boys “will become farmer[s]” as a more secure, guaranteed source of employment. Maya on the other hand, told us she “wants to become a doctor” and knows that she has her mother’s full support.

TIMORINTERVIEW

Nina prioritises the value of education as something instinctual, but fears the younger generations are becoming less and less enthused with the burden of ‘going to school.’ When she was younger she says, “It was very hard to get [an] education in Timor-leste. Now the kids have many options” she continues, in light of these developed opportunities, “the children don’t think education can help [their] lives.” In light of this holistic view on the youth Bacau, Nina is confident Maya has the spark to pursue her education as she gets older.

“I want to [say] thank you to my mother who give me the opportunity of education” said Maya when we asked “What are you most thankful for?” The mentality Nina has instilled in her daughter is one that holds an increased potency in the developing world; not thinking of benefit in the present but thinking in the future. The ability persevere through current struggles, to defy these challenges and think of a better future . ‘Short term pain, long term gain’ so to speak. It becomes clear what education means to Maya, the idea that among those who are committed to it, education becomes a tool of unprecedented power.

TIMOR-LESTE AND THE OCEANIC CULTUREUbiquitous by definition, expansive and dynamic. Ever changing yet always surrounding us, the overhauling bearing the ocean has on our everyday lives is often overlooked. In the developing world, particularly in Timor-Leste, the impact of the ocean on day to day activity is much more evident. The native appreciation of fishing, of utilising and respecting the ocean for everything it provides is not only more evident, but almost ritualistic. Recalling a brief conversation we had with a local fisherman and tradesman in the dry season of 2016, Anderson ‘Nino’ Lopes imparted his unique personal experiences and personal outlook on the fishing culture in Dili.

Pitched to the flaming sky as the sun sinks below the horizon, a dozen or so children set up an ad-hoc football field at which we met

Nino, an ardent supporter. Aged 62, Nino has been a fisherman for as long as he can remember, attributing some of his earliest memories to his father’s boat. His love for the ocean not only fuelled his career, but inspired his son, Alvaro, to follow in his footsteps. Removing our western goggles for even a second magnifies the beautyof Nino’s work. Utilising techniques that were somewhat lost in translation, onboard a hand-crafted boat, the local fishermen take a ‘fairer stance’ against the fish lets say. Casting nets in knee deep water, rattling bells to scare fish a certain direction does seem, to me at least, a more even match than 30-meter trawlers ridding the ocean floor of life, regardless of species. In essence, through the techniques and methods Nino employs, the locals never catch more than they need, never exhausting the proximal seabed.

From the moment you walk onto the streets of Dili, an appreciation of the culture towards fishing instantly syncs. The culture people like Nino grew up and continue to identify with is increasingly beautiful. Sprawled like crabs across the beachfront promenade, fishermen enthusiastically boast their morning’s catch, dangling from a beam perched over their shoulders. Ever cyclical from preparing the boats, arising at early hours to depart, trying to sell to catch and preparing yet again, Nino’s life revolves around the ocean. From his perspective, the cultural relationship with the ocean is far more extensive and prevalent than it is ever observed in western culture. Observing the ocean as a source of life, rather than the leisurable appeal we’ve come to appreciate it for is truly eye-opening. As a source of survival not a social platform, the native grasp upon something so simply ubiquitous in our lives urges us to appreciate the ocean from Nino’s viewpoint.

Elapsing no longer than 20 minutes, our chat to Nino on one of the main roads in Dili didn’t phase us too much at the time. It seemed no more than an enlightening chat with the locals, that we’ve 1000 more. It wasn’t until the plane landed back at Kingsford Smith Airport, Sydney, that we took the time to follow up and evaluate our own interaction with the ocean that the gravity of his words took their weight. Nino’s story was so much more than one detailing a love for fishing. It was Nino sharing his culture with us, sharing his experience, his life. Perhaps the reason it resonated so much was how relatable it all was, living in Sydney, the ocean is a huge part of our lifestyle, but in a different way. Nino gave us the framework to contrast these two ways of living and to further understand the local culture.

THANK YOU AND SIGN UP!Thank you once again for reading our April newsletter! For any enquiries please contact educatingthefutureorg@gmail.com or visit our website at www.educatingthefuture.org.

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