Arohata Bed Time Stories - Tuesday 9th April

There are often very interesting speakers at Rotary.     That was the case last Tuesday when Kerryn Palmer gave an inspirational talk on “Bedtime Stories from Inside”.     A group of Tawa mums took over this project for Arohata in 2016 from Marander Harcourt who had trialled the programme having seen it in use overseas.   They provide good quality age appropriate books to the children of prison mums and a CD of their mother reading the story.  
 
Bedtime Stories from Inside goes into prisons (like Arohata at the southern end of Tawa) and records people reading stories for their children (or grandchildren, nieces and nephews).    The book they have read is then sent home, along with the recording and a message to their children.   The goal is to keep whanau connected during times of forced separation.   The programme gives children the opportunity to hear the voice of someone special to them whenever they need to and encourages children to know that they are loved and wanted, even when that family member can’t physically be around.   For parents and relatives in prison (who have often had a traumatic time themselves), it gives them an opportunity to do something positive for their children whilst they also learn to heal and re-parent themselves.
 
The Bedtime Stories Programme also promotes literacy and gets good quality books into the homes of vulnerable children in New Zealand.   The Bedtime Stories team relies on funding and sponsorship from a variety of companies, groups and individual authors, including Tawa Rotary and local author Marie Munro.   Currently the programme is run at Arohata and Remutaka prisons and the long-term goal is to roll out the programme to other women's prisons in New Zealand.   
 
Find them on Facebook or email bedtimestoriesfrominside@gmail.com.   
 
 
Malcolm Andrews provided the 3-minute club talk and spoke about his new employment with a franchise of Driving with Miss Daisy.