SAIL Program Newsletter

The 'let us know' list
1. If any of your contact details have changed, please let us know.
2. If you are planning to have contact with your student outside of SAIL hours you must let us know first and then complete the contact request form.
3. If you intend to bring a friend to SAIL please direct them to the website first and direct them to apply online or just let us know beforehand.
4. Let us know if you are going to miss a Saturday by email, phone or the "Can't Come Sheet".
5. Please check your email account each week- if possible, Friday is best!
6. Please let us know before you speak publicly or publish an article about SAIL.

Important Diary Dates (Please note that SAIL does not take school holidays or long weekends off!)
1. Tutor Talk (in service) sessions are at 12:30pm on Saturdays 30th August, 4th October, 8th November, 13th December.
2. Please bring any second hand clothes for recent arrivals in the Sudanese community on the Saturday before Tutor Talk weeks.
3. There is no SAIL Xtend on the listed dates ie no Arabic or short courses.

Cars and lifts
1. Flinders Street- there are three cars that collect tutors from Flinders Street station every week. Cars leave at 10:05am from (and returns to) the post box on Flinders Street. Feel free to catch the lift!
2. Clifton Hill, Brunswick, Parkville, Collingwood, St Kilda, Richmond and Ringwood also have tutor collection points. Contact the co-ordinators for more information on 9819 5223.
3. Car drivers please note that, unless you are bringing non-human cargo to SAIL, we ask that you park your car in the Mephan Street car park located on the far side of the school (at the top of May Street) or, if you are early, at the front of the church on Ballarat Road.

Ongoing offers
1. Arabic classes- free to all SAIL volunteers from 12:30 – 1:15pm.
2. Photocopying- for any SAIL related photocopying, simply mark the pages from the books you want copied and give the book to Matthew or Anna Grace on Saturday- it will be ready for you the following week!
3. If you would like to post an ad or some other information relating to SAIL or another not-for-profit venture in which you are involved, please email the text and it will be included in the next newsletter.
4. The Tutor Resources section of the website is available at all times to provide tutors with ideas, games, work-sheets and support. We strongly suggest that if you are experiencing difficulties of any kind when working with your student, you post a request for advice on the SAIL Panel of Experts Bulletin Board (accessible from the Tutor Resources section).

Please read this entire document in the following week it gives updates on SAIL past, present and future!

A Question of Timing
Firstly, we just want to say that we really apologise for having to put this item in the newsletter. We think you are all amazing and we don’t like having to be dictatorial. But the issue of late and super-late arrivals is fast reaching a crisis-point. SAIL officially begins at 10.30am. That means that SAIL students get, at most, 90 minutes crucial extra English support, friendship, and support from their volunteers. Given their experiences and the struggles they still face here in Australia, this is not a lot for time. If used well, however, this time can have a tremendously positive effect on the lives of everyone involved in SAIL.

Unfortunately, for some SAILors, this is simply not happening. There is an incredibly large amount of people who are arriving at SAIL at 10.45, 11 am and even 11.15am. This is leaving tutors and students stranded while they wait for their other half to arrive. It is slowing down the whole timetable of the day, with lunch starting later, and therefore Xtend starting and finishing later still. It is unfair that tutors who arrive at 10.15 in order to prepare for their session are then waiting up to an hour for their students to arrive. It is also really upsetting to have kids begging to know where their teachers are or having to be quickly poked into new groups until their tutors arrive.

We know that for people who collect kids, there is a certain amount of time delay to be expected. And so we urge people – PLEASE let us know if there is a problem with your car load collection. PLEASE talk to the family you collect about being ready, if this is a problem – they are generally very grateful to be collected at all and if the situation is clearly and politely explained to them, it shouldn’t be a problem. If you collect other tutors, PLEASE talk to them about being ready too. There are people with car loads full of children and food and other things who arrive at SAIL as early as 9.45am. It is doable!

We love that you are able to collect SAILors of all kinds – heck, we love that you come at all. But the current laissez-faire approach to arrivals results in time loss for those tutors and students who do come at the time we all signed up for… 10:30am.

Birthday Bash
Believe it or not , on Saturday August 30th, SAIL will turn just two years old and we need your help to celebrate it properly!! We hope that the celebration this year will be even bigger and more exciting than they were last year! Two major events will mark this celebration.

Most importantly, on the Birthday Saturday we will be having a short concert after tutoring and before lunch. It will take place in the church. We have already organized some star acts however we are looking for a couple more. We are calling out to all SAILors who have a penchant for the musical or exhibitionist – we need you (or your contacts)! We’d love to have some musical acts as a part of the show, and who better to approach than our very own multi-talented volunteer base. Akon, bus driver extraordinaire, will be performing some Dinka songs and drumming. Anyone who is in a performing group or knows one (anyone have the Wiggles’ phone number?) that might be suitable for the SAIL celebration, please let us know. Any item needn’t go for longer than 5 minutes.

We hope also to gather everyone after this concert for a whole SAIL photo. This ambitious plan still requires a photographer. Any assistance here, from a professional, would also be greatly appreciated!

Finally, we are putting out the call to all cake-baking SAILors. We need lots of cakes for the birthday to feed lots of sugar-hungry mouths. If you may be able to provide a cake for the celebrations, please let us know by email.

The second prong of the celebrations will be our annual Tutor Bash for all past and present SAIL Volunteers. We sincerely hope everyone will join us for a 7pm start on Friday 29 August. There will be no entrance cost but food and drink will be at normal retail prices. After dinner there will be a short thank you presentation. All SAILors can expect an email detailing the event in their email inbox very soon! Partners are very welcome and RSVP will be essential.

A final note for the birthday celebrations. For those who would like to take photos of their time at SAIL or their students, this is the one and only day in the year where we encourage you to bring your cameras along. Cameras are very welcome after the normal tutoring time on the birthday Saturday!

Volunteer consultations
As SAIL grows and grows endlessly we find it harder and harder to keep tabs on all the endless goings on during SAIL time. While we are very appreciative of all the emails we receive in the week updating us and expressing concerns, we are aware that some people find it easier to express concerns face-to-face. For this reason we would like to offer an open, non-obligatory invitation to all SAILors to our first volunteer consultation. The first consultation will take place on 23 August at 1pm (when SAIL Xtend should be settled). These consultations will be a way for us to address any concerns you may have about your specific student or about SAIL generally. If you choose and by request, you may consult with just one co-ordinator. Please note we will be available to SAIL Xtenders immediately after SAIL Xtend on that week.

If this time does not suit you but you would like to consult with us about SAIL during the week, please drop us an email and let us know what day and time you could be available to meet either one or both of us in the city. We will be happy to make ourselves to you available at the following times; from the week beginning 18th August onwards for the rest of the year – Monday 11.15 – 2.30pm, Tuesday 11.15- 2pm or any Friday and preferably in the morning. At the very least, we hope the consultation initiative will make it easier for all SAILors to access and affect SAIL’s decision making.

Saturday Coordinator role available
Rob, our first-ever Saturday co-ordinator, is off to Africa leading a team of volunteers and taking his talents with him (see thanks section below). As a result we are calling for expressions of interest in the Saturday co-ordinator role. If you would like to contact Rob to find out more about the role and what it entails please feel free to email him at r.bednall@ugrad.unimelb.edu.au

The position will require only one person who will act as a third co-ordinator on Saturdays only. This means the person will not tutor but will, instead, assist with the set-up and pack-up on Saturdays and act as an information source during SAIL time to all SAILors. The person will assist with New Tutor induction, distribute materials, be on “nomad watch” and address any questions and requests that tutors and students may have. This person will be required from 10am until 2pm each week although this is negotiable. The Saturday co-ordinator role is strictly limited to these times. We are open to job-share suggestions.

Car Seat Blues
Following on from the above, we’d like to hear from anyone who is having to squeeze more than the standard number of people into their car as result of large family sizes. We have heard that some do this. It is not necessary. We can readily rectify this situation once we are told. Could you please let us know if you have any little people sharing seatbelts or sitting on laps and we will arrange for a second car to swing by to that family.

Suggestion Box and Email account
SAIL will soon have a ‘Suggestion Box’ and a ‘Suggestion Email Account’. The box will be set up in the kitchen, on top of the fridge. Any notes or ideas can be dropped in there. The email account idea is the same. Emails from anyone with thoughts, concerns, desired changes or things to share about the way things are at SAIL can be sent from the account SAIL_anon@msn.com. The password is “volunteer”. Both options can be used anonymously!

Can’t Come E-sheet
The time has finally come for the Can’t Come sheet to move into the technological age! In a few days it will be moved online to the Tutor Resources section. We will be asking all tutors to make use of it on an ongoing basis as it will greatly reduce our administration time for Can’t Come notices generally. Keep your eyes peeled for its introduction! For sentimentalists amongst us, the paper version will remain on Saturdays for the complete tactile experience. We are also considering a limited edition reprint of some of the great Can’t Come Sheets in SAIL’s history in celebration of turning two. Bidding will take place online!

Junior Bulletin Board
For those volunteering in the Junior Room, there is, as discussed at our last meeting, now a bulletin board section especially for you! It is set up slightly differently to the others – instead of an ‘expert’ heading the panel, this one will be moderated by Rachel. The idea is that you will be able to post ideas about the weeks activities (ideas for craft, new songs, games, whatever!) and that others can respond or prepare things. You can also post to let Rachel know if you have any sudden brainwaves. You can also link to any good websites or activities that you might find online. Please take the time to register on the Board as soon as possible. It can be found through the Tutor Resources section of the Website.

Home Help training
In response to suggestions for better Home Help support, all present and prospective home helpers are cordially invited to a training intensive specifically for the Home Help program. The training will take place at the Ecumenical Migration Centre, 95-97 Brunswick St, Fitzroy on September 23, 2003 from 4:30 until 7:30pm. RSVP is essential. If a number of people cannot make this time we will happily reschedule. The training will be run by Ana Arbizu, family support worker from the Ecumenical Migration Centre, who has a wealth of experience in this area. We hope that she will also be a contact for long-term support for Home Helpers should any serious issues arise within the families.We hope that this will provide a valuable chance for you to discuss common issues and find solutions!

Street Beat
We hope everyone is feeling happy with the May St parking situation. A combination of people leaving their cars in the Mephan St car park and our wonderful road-watching volunteer Angelo has seen the number of near critical squashing incidents on the street reduced to zero. To those who don’t know – there is a blanket ban on parking in May Street itself - please, please park your cars in Mephan St and the car park attached. We now have over 70 cars in the SAIL fleet who collect people from all over Greater Melbourne and then come to settle in May St. Thanks for helping out – a little inconvenience makes May St much safer!

Having a ball – but not during lunch
As you might have gathered from the obsessive patrolling of one of us coordinators in particular, we currently have a ‘No balls during lunchtime’ rule. Food, babies and balls are not a happy combination. Your assistance in enforcing this restriction would be greatly appreciated. There is a MASSIVE soccer field right next door – please, encourage the kids to take their matches out there where they will have loads of space to play in. This is only happening occasionally, and the kids are almost all aware of this rule anyway, but anything you say can only help for it to sink in.

Emailing students
We were recently asked by one of many very diligent SAILors if he was allowed to email his student outside of SAIL hours. We were glad that he had asked and delighted that he was keen to do it. We would like everyone to know that we are not only happy for tutor SAILors to email student SAILors but we would actually encourage everyone who can, to do it. We view this as an exceptional way for integrated learning of English to happen which, after all, is what SAIL is all about. If you find your student does have email (and many do through school) please feel free to email them. Please let us know your student’s email addresses, as we too would like the option of sending them SAIL updates as we do for you!

International Volunteers
Please note, that under the Migration Regulations, voluntary unpaid work is regarded as "work". Any student visa holder who intends to undertake volunteer work must first apply for a student visa with permission to work. If a student undertakes volunteer work before obtaining permission to work, they will be in breach of condition 8101,leading to mandatory visa cancellation. If this affects you, please let us know.

Wondrous Worksheets
SAIL’s website has just moved to a new net server that has room for more content than our current one. As a result, there will be room for any tutors who have made worksheets for use in SAIL time to add these to the collection currently available online. We’ve had a few people send us theirs already, and we urge anyone who has made up sheets that have worked well to send ’em on in. This way other volunteers will be able to share in your wisdom and the SAIL site will have even more activities that are specifically tailored to SAILors.

Food collection volunteer
We have recently registered with an organization, Food Relief, that will be able to give us our food rations for a substantially lower price than usual. Lunch is the biggest strain on SAIL’s budget, and to get this arrangement up and running will be a huge, well, relief, funnily enough! We are currently searching for a volunteer or two to help out with food collection. This will occur every Friday and take about an hour. It will involve driving to get the food in Airport West and bringing it back to SAIL HQ at May St. We would be interested to hear of anyone interested or anyone with good leads . We’d be interested to hear from anyone who has a friend or relative, or a connection with a Rotary or similar club who might like to undertake the task of collecting the food for the many hungry little (and some not so little) tummies at SAIL.

Job seekers section
Last newsletter SAIL became a job-seeking centre. Thanks to all those who responded. We were thrilled that so many people were able to offer and attain work through the humble SAIL newsletter.

Fundraising Party
SAIL is sometimes the recipient of the generosity of schools and groups who organise fundraisers for us. We’d like to extend an invitation to all to attend the most recent of these, a fundraiser that is being organised by ‘Students For Christ’ at Melbourne University. The date is Monday 25th August at Republica Bar, 132 Smith Street, Collingwood and the occasion will also support Urban Neighbours of Hope in Springvale and Mercy Ministries at Swanston Street Church of Christ, which supports several Chilean and Sri Lankan families. The cost per person is $15 and the celebrations will include food, drinks, band, drumming, a performance by Akon and his Dambai Dance Group, entry to raffle by donation of a non validated met card.

The organisers are very keen for members of the Sudanese community to come to the party (free of charge), but with the transport issues within the community, this probably won’t be possible. If you think it might be a fun occasion to take your students family along to and don’t mind paying the $15 for yourself, that could be a great way of enabling the community to be more involved in the celebration.

Free stuff
Great opportunities for people wanting to head off on an excursion as part of the SAIL About program. We have 5 free tickets to any MCG game (except the Collinwood and Essendon match). We’re really keen for a few student/tutor pairs to go along to a game together, so if you and your student are keen, let us know! SAIL Senior students and tutors are welcome to attend. We also have some passes to Reading Cinemas which are at a number of locations across Melbourne. These are ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free passes’, which is a pretty good deal considering some of the family sizes one might end up accompanying. They can be used any day except Tuesday (but not on ‘No Free List’ films), and they expire in September, so if you’re interested on going to the moves with your students, grab this chance while it’s still available! As always, first in best dressed!

Sudanese Settlement Centre
Anglicare is in the process of setting up a settlement centre for new Sudanese arrivals. It will be located at Father Don’s other church, St Johns, and is to be staffed by two Sudanese members of the SAIL community (including the incomparable Akon, a feature of this newsletter it seems!). This is great news – the community is now being recognised by one of the major welfare agencies and will soon have a place to go for info on housing, finances, and other essentials that is specifically tailored to their needs. Also, Second Hand Day goods will soon be going to this location, which is also stockpiling furniture and other goodies to go straight into the hands of new arrivals. We thank all those of you who continue to donate your pre-loved goods to assist in this process.

African Studies Conference
We would like to extend an invitation to extra-keen SAILors to a conference occurring at Flinders University in Adelaide on October 1-3, 2003. We have been invited to present at the Conference of the African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific and will be there for the duration of it. One SAILor has already decided to join us and anyone else is very welcome. The cost is $50 for the three days. Please contact us if you would like to keep us company at what promises to be a very worthwhile gathering!

THANK YOUSE!
It is with a heavy heart that we say a fond farewell to Rob. Rob has been a SAILor for almost two years, originally as a tutor and more recently as the first SAIL Saturday Co-ordinator. Rob has been a constant source of ideas, support and hard-yakka for both of us and for this we are truly grateful. We would like to thank Rob for his consistent good humour, incredibly easy going approach to everything (including major crises?!) and for all the energy he has poured in to SAIL. As he warned us at the start of the year, Rob is off to Central Africa later this year to lead a group of volunteers in community work. Rob will be SAILing for a little while longer before he has to head off.

We would also like to post another thank you to Marg, one of the SAIL admin gurus. Marg has been working tirelessly behind the scenes for a few months but undertook the unthinkable last week. We would like to express our deep appreciation to Marg for taking on the thankless task of emailing every one of the 190-odd SAILors to confirm that the contact details we have are correct. Many thanks Marg for doing so much work with so little fuss – it helps all of us help those SAILors most in need!

Total Trivia
SAIL has over 180 volunteers, all of whom donate at least 2 hours each week to SAIL. This amounts to about 16,000 voluntary hours donated each year to the Sudanese community through SAIL. Assuming that our time is valued at $15 an hour, this means SAILors donate about $250, 000 of time annually. Over the two years since SAIL was officially founded, this amounts to about $500, 000 which, in turn, could buy a very good house in Footscray. If you were then to fill the house with the sandwiches provided at the lunch, ……….

Smooth SAILing and thanks for all your marvelous efforts,
Matthew and Anna Grace