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Stories are like magical threads woven through our social fabric, connecting cultures and ideas. Told well in words we understand, they elicit empathy and unity; told brilliantly, they can change lives.聽
Lost in Books in Fairfield is doing just that: it鈥檚 promoted as 鈥渁 kids鈥 bookshop that speaks your language鈥. Though it鈥檚 much more than a multilingual book store (with titles in more than 70 languages). Launched in 2017 by Jane Stratton鈥檚 THINK+DO Tank Foundation, it operates as a social enterprise to fund multilingual storytelling projects, a creative learning centre and, most importantly, a language exchange hub.
鈥淢ultilingual storytelling is important because it allows people to express their own identities, and at the same time learn from each other,鈥 explains Afaf Al-Shammari, Lead Community Connector at the THINK+DO Tank Foundation and leader of its Arabic Language Writing Academy, who graduated from 91成人 in 2015 with a Bachelor of Psychology.聽鈥淚f we want the community to come close to each other, we need to be good listeners: hearing about each other鈥檚 cultural heritages, people鈥檚 challenges, desires and hopes.鈥
During the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, the store launched Lost In Books TV to bring joy and hope into people鈥檚 homes 鈥 which you can see in a Google ad campaign featuring Lillian Rodrigues-Pang, a former Western staff member and Forked Tongues Multilingual Storytelling Lead at Lost in Books.聽
鈥淔rom the first day I started at Lost In Books I felt celebrated for my multilingualism. Everyone is encouraged to express themselves and celebrating more languages means we鈥檙e celebrating more perspectives and creating more connections,鈥 says Aphrodite Delaguiado, who graduated with a Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) from Western in 2009 and worked as the Marketing and Creative Lead at Lost In Books in 2020*
Aphrodite speaks Tagalog, English, Spanish (and is learning Japanese). Her experiences as a migrant are a big part of her work and creative process, inspired by her university studies of the First Things First graphic design manifesto:
鈥淟earning about First Things First in my first year of uni was a big lesson in design for purpose: I鈥檇 previously thought graphic design was just for advertising, but the manifesto is about using design for good 鈥 using it for socially responsible purposes.鈥澛
Now running a creative enterprise of her own called Aphro, Aphrodite also draws on lessons from her time with community groups at Lost In Books, including homework clubs.
鈥淪ome of the parents who come to Lost In Books are learning English while trying to help their kids do homework, which can be very hard,鈥 she says. 鈥淗aving multilingual groups forms bridges between cultures, while at the same time parents gain confidence to help their kids with homework.鈥澛Afaf remembers feeling overwhelmed because she didn鈥檛 understand much English when she brought her young family to Australia from Kuwait in 1997:
鈥淪tarting a new life in a country with a different language and culture was challenging,鈥 she says. 鈥淭hrough my experience I became very interested in ideas and strategies to help people adapt to change and build a new life.鈥
鈥淪o, once my kids were older, I started studying psychology at Western. The campus was conveniently nearby, but what really drew me to Western was that it has a really multicultural vibe: it was my first exposure to the wider community and meeting people from so many different cultures, and the tutors were very understanding of peoples鈥 different experiences.鈥
Now she applies her knowledge of psychology to helping women develop creative and communication skills in her community programs at Lost In Books.聽
She says the purpose of Lost In Books as a language exchange hub goes much further than giving people a place to practice a new language 鈥 which is important 鈥 it also helps people reconnect with the culture of their mother tongue.
鈥淲hen you speak with people in their first language you鈥檙e talking to their hearts,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e want people to feel connected through their hearts to community. It starts with listening deeply to each other鈥檚 stories so we can learn more from each other, and then shared connections and creativity grow into a real sense of belonging.鈥
*Aphrodite is now working at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
WORDS BY STUART RIDLEY
