South west elders gain view of the world

The residents and students are embracing the program aimed at promoting multi-faceted community engagement.

The students are predominantly migrants who live in the local community.

‘Many of our residents, through generational, circumstantial or socio-economic reasons, have had very limited exposure and experience of international travel,’ said Lyndoch Chief Executive Officer Doreen Power.

‘The students are creating a sense of armchair travel by sharing stories and photos of their homelands, cultural activities and even cooking traditional food for the residents to sample.

‘On the flip side, the opportunities presented through this program for the students to practise their English are complemented by the local knowledge, history and culture that our residents share their stories.’

Ms Power said the interactions were helping break down the barriers created by language, cultural and confidence issues.

‘It really is a fantastic thing to witness the sharing of stories – there are tears, hugs and a lot of laughter.’

The students involved hail from all over the world, including Indonesia, China, Korea, Japan, India, France, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines and Africa.