NEWSLETTER: Braybrook campus (June 2008)

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 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 via the online Can't Come form.

5. Please check and read your emails each week - if possible, Friday is best!

6. Please let us know before you speak publicly or publish an article about SAIL.


Ongoing offers

1. Photocopying- for any SAIL related photocopying, simply mark the pages from the books you want copied and give the book to the co-ordinators on Saturday- it will be ready for you the following week!

2. 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 -the password was in the email with this newsletter.


Diary dates

If you are interested in attending any upcoming African Australian events click here for the details.

Please read this newsletter in the following week, it gives updates on SAIL past, present and future!
Community Talks & SAIL Senior Programs

Last month, our SAIL Seniors were fortunate to have Martin from the Footscray Community Legal Centre come speak to them about financial planning and budgeting. It was a highly informative session and SAILors were given the opportunity to discuss important financial issues.

Our next Community Talk is scheduled for Saturday, 14 June. We ask that tutors and drivers please remind both SAILors and their parents that they are always welcome to join our talks and Senior Programs, both of which are very beneficial to parents and children.

Governor de Kretser Visits SAIL

On 31 May, the Governor of Victoria, Governor de Kretser and his wife Mrs. de Kretser visited SAIL, following a generous invitation to 40 SAILors to visit Government House in February. They started the morning at the Maidstone campus and arrived at Braybrook at 11:30am. Many students had the opportunity to speak with both the Governor and Mrs. de Kretser about SAIL and their favourite aspects of SAILing. The Governor and Mrs. de Kretser stayed for lunch and were treated to a fantastic display of Krumping by the SAILors in Xtend.

Punctuality at SAIL

You may have noticed that lately, the good ship SAIL at Braybrook seems only to set off closer to 11.00am than the scheduled 10.30am. The hour and a half scheduled for tutoring is precious and in order to maximize this time, please do everything you can to arrive at SAIL by 10.20am to start tutoring at 10.30am.

If you are having difficulties with getting yourself and the SAILors you pick up to campus on time, please come and speak with us. If you’ve noticed that your student is often late, feel free to bring that up with us also!

Xtend Update
SAILors involved in Xtend have cooked up a storm in the month of May, improving their skills in the kitchen and we’ve had everything from beef stroganoff to pancakes on the menu. Others have shown off their dancing abilities with Tango and Krumping sessions, and we’ve seen some amazing moves on display!  Many thanks to all volunteers who stayed around to help out with Xtend- your extra hands are very much appreciated.

The Age and fresh fruit back at Braybrook
The Saturday Age newspaper and A2 section are now available for all SAILors on Saturdays. We encourage you to take a copy and incorporate it into tutoring if possible. Also please encourage your SAILor to take a copy home with them each Saturday. In many cases, it may be the only English newspaper they get at home. In addition to the paper, fresh fruit will be circulated each Saturday for morning tea.

Library News
Lena, our dedicated librarian has been working hard to make the library user-friendly and the book collection has been completely reorganized. The library now sports a brand new set of shelves also. Thank you to tutors and students for helping us keep the area and resources neat and tidy as well as for returning books and games to their designated places. If you are ever unsure of where things should go, please don’t hesitate to ask Lena. 

WholeSAIL News

SAIL in the Press

As you may already know, the SAIL Program only engages with media opportunities of
its own in very limited circumstances. We have this policy to ensure that the Sudanese community are portrayed on their own terms, rather than through the SAIL Program.

On Saturday 17 May 2008, The Saturday Age newspaper published two stories that mentioned the SAIL Program, including photos of SAILors. The first we knew of these references was when we saw the paper on 17 May. The photos had been taken with our knowledge but without reference to publication in the Saturday Age and without knowing the content with which they would be linked. The articles were written by Farah Farouque without contacting us at all.

Needless to say, we were upset that this went ahead without our knowledge because it was in breach of our own policy but it also linked the SAIL Program to a political debate in which we, as a service provider rather than a lobbying body, wanted no part. We were concerned also that the articles told a SAILor’s story with reference to the assistance of the SAIL Program, where the SAIL Program had only a token role in the SAILor's story. We made our disquiet known to The Age on the same day these articles were published. The editor, Michael Gordon, called Matthew, the SAIL Founder on 19 May 2008 and apologised that he had not ensured that the SAIL Program was contacted to check that the
reference to the organisation was authorized before the articles went to press.

For the record, if you are approached to undertake any media about your involvement at SAIL, please be sure to check with us before having any further contact. This will ensure that no further stories are released that portray the Sudanese community as being dependant on the SAIL Program. The community should be portrayed on their own terms whenever such opportunities arise.

Refugee Week 2008

Don't forget that Refugee Week 2008 is just a month away. And the national theme is "A Place to Call Home". To keep up to date with plans for Refugee Week as it draws closer, see http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/newsevents/refugeeweek.html

SAIL Total Trivia

Sudan borders 9 countries and an important sea. Can you name them all?

ANSWER: Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Red Sea…whew!

Thank you for SAILing on into the winter months of 2008.

Gemma, Nik and Cara.