From Vision Australia this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Coley.

From Vision Australia this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Coley.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

You know, when you think about if I, as a fully sighted person, I'm sitting in a room full of people in an aged care home. I'm listening to conversation. I can see people, and I can smile at them and connect with them, even at least visually. That does give me some opportunity to create friendships. But if you're sitting in the same room, you're living with vision loss. You're not able to connect with people that way. That increases your chances of isolation.

You know, when you think about if I, as a fully sighted person, I'm sitting in a room full of people in an aged care home. I'm listening to conversation. I can see people, and I can smile at them and connect with them, even at least visually. That does give me some opportunity to create friendships. But if you're sitting in the same room, you're living with vision loss. You're not able to connect with people that way. That increases your chances of isolation.

Welcome to the program. This week we chat with Asis Tawfik, the CEO of aging with Grace and coordinator of the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme in south eastern Australia. You'll hear from ASIS about her organisation plus the scheme in just a second. But after you hear from ASIS, I catch up with Verity Hunt-ballard, the creative producer from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here to chat to me all about Story Sauce, a new story platform which is audio based for kids around Australia, to inspire them to create stories of their own and learn new things along the way. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Aces. Tawfik is the CEO of aging with Grace. In addition to being the state network member for the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme across the Act, New South Wales and Victoria. She's here to talk about the scheme today, as well as aging with grace itself. So without further ado, it's my great pleasure to welcome ASIS now. ASIS, welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time.

Welcome to the program. This week we chat with Asis Tawfik, the CEO of aging with Grace and coordinator of the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme in south eastern Australia. You'll hear from ASIS about her organisation plus the scheme in just a second. But after you hear from ASIS, I catch up with Verity Hunt-ballard, the creative producer from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here to chat to me all about Story Sauce, a new story platform which is audio based for kids around Australia, to inspire them to create stories of their own and learn new things along the way. I hope you'll enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Aces. Tawfik is the CEO of aging with Grace. In addition to being the state network member for the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme across the Act, New South Wales and Victoria. She's here to talk about the scheme today, as well as aging with grace itself. So without further ado, it's my great pleasure to welcome ASIS now. ASIS, welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you Sam, lovely to be here.

Thank you Sam, lovely to be here.

Before we get into the Aged Care Volunteer visitors Visitors scheme, I'd love to hear a little bit more about the organization aging with Grace.

Before we get into the Aged Care Volunteer visitors Visitors scheme, I'd love to hear a little bit more about the organization aging with Grace.

Thank you. So I started aging with Grace back in August 2022, and it was in direct response to what I could see. I've been in the sector for about 30 years and the in the volunteer community disability aged care sector. So all combined all different sectors. But basically I guess in the community services sector, and I could see that we had a gap in some of the support services that we have for older people, very much inspired by my mother, who was a very big, had a really high sense of social responsibility and has always been involved in charity personally and also through volunteering. You know, I'd come home sometimes and I'd say, mum, where's whatever, something I'd purchased and she would have given it away because she said, I just found someone needed it more than you did. So she'd give it away. And she instilled a very high sense of charity and that's, you know, financial so very much about giving money away often and also very big on the purpose of why we're on earth. So that has stayed and was very much ingrained in me, and hopefully I've passed that on to my children. So I loved working for different charities and worked for Vision Australia for 11 years and absolutely loved it. And Vision Australia has always stayed very dear to my heart. And then I worked for miss and then part of my job at miss, which is multiple sclerosis, was also supporting a service for older people and then went off and worked for other charities and then finally followed a dream, which was to start my own small charity. And the benefit of a small charity is the dollars are very much able to be focused on the the service delivery. Not that bigger charities don't do that, but it's much harder for them. And aging with Grace was born and I got the name. I came up with the name because as people age and watching people age, I thought it's really important for us to allow them the opportunity to age with grace. And to do that, we need to be thoughtful and mindful and still see them. I feel sometimes without meaning to. It's like we turn the mute button on a remote. We can see them, but we don't hear them. And aging with grace is just allowing them that respect and dignity to age the way they want to and live their best lives. And that was important to me.

Thank you. So I started aging with Grace back in August 2022, and it was in direct response to what I could see. I've been in the sector for about 30 years and the in the volunteer community disability aged care sector. So all combined all different sectors. But basically I guess in the community services sector, and I could see that we had a gap in some of the support services that we have for older people, very much inspired by my mother, who was a very big, had a really high sense of social responsibility and has always been involved in charity personally and also through volunteering. You know, I'd come home sometimes and I'd say, mum, where's whatever, something I'd purchased and she would have given it away because she said, I just found someone needed it more than you did. So she'd give it away. And she instilled a very high sense of charity and that's, you know, financial so very much about giving money away often and also very big on the purpose of why we're on earth. So that has stayed and was very much ingrained in me, and hopefully I've passed that on to my children. So I loved working for different charities and worked for Vision Australia for 11 years and absolutely loved it. And Vision Australia has always stayed very dear to my heart. And then I worked for miss and then part of my job at miss, which is multiple sclerosis, was also supporting a service for older people and then went off and worked for other charities and then finally followed a dream, which was to start my own small charity. And the benefit of a small charity is the dollars are very much able to be focused on the the service delivery. Not that bigger charities don't do that, but it's much harder for them. And aging with Grace was born and I got the name. I came up with the name because as people age and watching people age, I thought it's really important for us to allow them the opportunity to age with grace. And to do that, we need to be thoughtful and mindful and still see them. I feel sometimes without meaning to. It's like we turn the mute button on a remote. We can see them, but we don't hear them. And aging with grace is just allowing them that respect and dignity to age the way they want to and live their best lives. And that was important to me.

And that's where the Aged care volunteer visitor scheme comes in. And it's been around for quite a while in various iterations, but there have been a few changes recently with the name and a little bit of the structure. I'd love to hear a bit about the scheme itself.

And that's where the Aged care volunteer visitor scheme comes in. And it's been around for quite a while in various iterations, but there have been a few changes recently with the name and a little bit of the structure. I'd love to hear a bit about the scheme itself.

Oh fantastic. So it commenced in 92, you know, 93, formally known as the Community Visitor Scheme, funded by the Australian government. Very, very simple concept that through friendship, through matching a volunteer visitor with an older person, we can help alleviate loneliness and isolation. Human beings generally are not meant to be on their own. We like company. We like to engage with people. We like to make a social, an emotional and spiritual, I guess, connection with others. And as we age, just through life, things happen and we can find ourselves through no fault of our own. More isolated people pass away. Children, yes, grow up and have their own families and still love us, but they're busy raising those families. And when we think of an older person who may be in their 80s and 70s, their children are in their 50s, potentially. It's not that they're teenagers and they're busy helping their own children and living life and working full time and all sorts of things. So this terrific service has been around for a very long time. As I mentioned, funded by the Australian government, it's national, it's free. It's not cost free cost, a fair bit of money, but it's from taxpayer dollars. But it's a free service to access and it's very simple. We're friendship makers. Basically. We match volunteers to older people for friendship.

Oh fantastic. So it commenced in 92, you know, 93, formally known as the Community Visitor Scheme, funded by the Australian government. Very, very simple concept that through friendship, through matching a volunteer visitor with an older person, we can help alleviate loneliness and isolation. Human beings generally are not meant to be on their own. We like company. We like to engage with people. We like to make a social, an emotional and spiritual, I guess, connection with others. And as we age, just through life, things happen and we can find ourselves through no fault of our own. More isolated people pass away. Children, yes, grow up and have their own families and still love us, but they're busy raising those families. And when we think of an older person who may be in their 80s and 70s, their children are in their 50s, potentially. It's not that they're teenagers and they're busy helping their own children and living life and working full time and all sorts of things. So this terrific service has been around for a very long time. As I mentioned, funded by the Australian government, it's national, it's free. It's not cost free cost, a fair bit of money, but it's from taxpayer dollars. But it's a free service to access and it's very simple. We're friendship makers. Basically. We match volunteers to older people for friendship.

Could you tell us a bit about the Aged Care volunteer visitor scheme, in particular regarding blindness and low vision, and how that can foster that connection and that friendship between people?

Could you tell us a bit about the Aged Care volunteer visitor scheme, in particular regarding blindness and low vision, and how that can foster that connection and that friendship between people?

Absolutely. I think that when you're living with any sort of diverse need or additional need like vision loss, hearing loss, if you're from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, if you're from the LGBTQ plus community. So anything that adds another layer, I guess, of either complexity or challenge, it can increase your chance of isolation even more. You know, when you think about if I, as a fully sighted person, I'm sitting in a room full of people in an aged care home. I'm listening to conversation. I can see people, and I can smile at them and and connect with them, even at least visually. That does give me some opportunity to create friendships. But if you're sitting in the same room, you're living with vision loss. You're not able to connect with people that way. That increases your chances of isolation. You're not able to read what's on the notice board. You're not even able to read what's being offered for the food for the day. The things that many of us sighted people can take for granted. Because I worked in this sector for quite a while and with other disabilities, I have a profound level of interest and desire to make a difference for people and to help them find and experience the joy, or find more joy and to live their absolute best lives. So if we can connect them to a friend who will take them out for a cuppa in a cafe, that some of the things that at my age, I still take for granted, that I can just do that on my own. To feel fresh air on my face and to sit and smell the ocean while I enjoy some fish and chips, or just an ice cream, or all the things that people go, oh yeah, I can go off and do that. That's what our visitors can do. And frankly, even if it's just sitting and going to visit and having a cuppa together and a bit of a laugh and listening to some music or even watching a TV show together, you can sit together, watching a show together and just the companionship of that, or talking about the characters or what happened on the show is so important and just gives you that sense of companionship. I think having friends is underrated, the value and the emotional and mental benefits it has, and it has proven to also improve physical wellbeing. Just looking forward to somebody coming to see you, getting up, brushing your teeth, getting ready, getting dressed. All of that is physicality that is important to keep using, and I just think it's a vital importance for people experiencing vision loss. For people that have, their eyesight is deteriorated through macular degeneration or glaucoma. I think that's even of more value because they it's something that they're experiencing and a grief they're also facing, and we can help them through the friendships that people have with them.

Absolutely. I think that when you're living with any sort of diverse need or additional need like vision loss, hearing loss, if you're from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, if you're from the LGBTQ plus community. So anything that adds another layer, I guess, of either complexity or challenge, it can increase your chance of isolation even more. You know, when you think about if I, as a fully sighted person, I'm sitting in a room full of people in an aged care home. I'm listening to conversation. I can see people, and I can smile at them and and connect with them, even at least visually. That does give me some opportunity to create friendships. But if you're sitting in the same room, you're living with vision loss. You're not able to connect with people that way. That increases your chances of isolation. You're not able to read what's on the notice board. You're not even able to read what's being offered for the food for the day. The things that many of us sighted people can take for granted. Because I worked in this sector for quite a while and with other disabilities, I have a profound level of interest and desire to make a difference for people and to help them find and experience the joy, or find more joy and to live their absolute best lives. So if we can connect them to a friend who will take them out for a cuppa in a cafe, that some of the things that at my age, I still take for granted, that I can just do that on my own. To feel fresh air on my face and to sit and smell the ocean while I enjoy some fish and chips, or just an ice cream, or all the things that people go, oh yeah, I can go off and do that. That's what our visitors can do. And frankly, even if it's just sitting and going to visit and having a cuppa together and a bit of a laugh and listening to some music or even watching a TV show together, you can sit together, watching a show together and just the companionship of that, or talking about the characters or what happened on the show is so important and just gives you that sense of companionship. I think having friends is underrated, the value and the emotional and mental benefits it has, and it has proven to also improve physical wellbeing. Just looking forward to somebody coming to see you, getting up, brushing your teeth, getting ready, getting dressed. All of that is physicality that is important to keep using, and I just think it's a vital importance for people experiencing vision loss. For people that have, their eyesight is deteriorated through macular degeneration or glaucoma. I think that's even of more value because they it's something that they're experiencing and a grief they're also facing, and we can help them through the friendships that people have with them.

Yes. You've also been involved, as you've mentioned earlier in the interview, in other ways, that you've kept the community connected with your work at Vision Australia Radio in Warragul and the vital service they provided at the time to the print disabled community in that region. So what was it like to be involved there with that and the positive response that it received at the time and kept people connected in that way?

Yes. You've also been involved, as you've mentioned earlier in the interview, in other ways, that you've kept the community connected with your work at Vision Australia Radio in Warragul and the vital service they provided at the time to the print disabled community in that region. So what was it like to be involved there with that and the positive response that it received at the time and kept people connected in that way?

I felt so guilty earning a wage in that job because I just loved that job so much. I would literally jump out of bed every morning and go to work. I was involved right at the beginning, not at the inception of it, but very close to it. I worked with some terrific volunteers in Warragul, which is in Gippsland in Victoria. I started a second program. We had one hour on air and we, you know, then relayed Kooyong, and then I started another hour in the afternoon and we read another newspaper, and then I started an interview program. So we would hear from great people in the community who would be interviewed on Vision Australia radio. And it was just magnificent. I think it was such a great community service that we provided and I hope provided even power or, you know, or close to as much as possible for people who, for whatever reason, couldn't get to the print media themselves independently. It gave them that sense of involvement in the community, and we can't estimate the importance of that ever.

I felt so guilty earning a wage in that job because I just loved that job so much. I would literally jump out of bed every morning and go to work. I was involved right at the beginning, not at the inception of it, but very close to it. I worked with some terrific volunteers in Warragul, which is in Gippsland in Victoria. I started a second program. We had one hour on air and we, you know, then relayed Kooyong, and then I started another hour in the afternoon and we read another newspaper, and then I started an interview program. So we would hear from great people in the community who would be interviewed on Vision Australia radio. And it was just magnificent. I think it was such a great community service that we provided and I hope provided even power or, you know, or close to as much as possible for people who, for whatever reason, couldn't get to the print media themselves independently. It gave them that sense of involvement in the community, and we can't estimate the importance of that ever.

That's very true. And if people would like to know a little bit more about the Acfas, what's the best way for them to do that? Where could they head to?

That's very true. And if people would like to know a little bit more about the Acfas, what's the best way for them to do that? Where could they head to?

Actually just contacting me. So if they contact me, they can call me or they can email me on info at. Aging with Grace and aging has an E in it. Org a u and my phone number is a mobile number 0491 272 417. So 0491 272 417. If they don't remember that, if they get someone to find for them the aged care volunteer visitor scheme, they'll find me because I'm listed on the Department of Health and Aged Care website, and we're actually currently we have funded placements available. They're free, as I mentioned. So we provide the service to anyone living in an aged care home or living in the community, receiving a home care package or approved and wait listed for one. So that's wonderful. So if they're approved and wait listed for a home care package or for a spot in an aged care home and they're still waiting. They are still eligible for this service and it is totally free. It's in addition to their packages, doesn't touch their packages, it doesn't touch their aged care funding, and we will find a volunteer suited to them living close by who will visit them on a weekly or fortnightly basis minimum. And they will have a friend for life. And it can be in any language they prefer, any sort of background. So we base it on the older person's preferences. If they want a male or a female or someone that's Greek or Italian or someone that was raised in the country, we will look for the right volunteer. And when I say we, I'm not talking about only aging with grace. I'm talking about the 40 or so organizations in Victoria, the same sort of numbers in New South Wales and across the country. This service is available. So if you're listening to this and you're in Western Australia, I'll connect you to my colleague in the West, in Western Australia, and we will. We are determined to get the service to you. We will keep looking until we find the right volunteer, because our volunteers, of course, need to go through a process. We don't just put anybody with an older person. They go through a national police check and a reference check and smidge of training just to make sure we've got good guidance for them. And we generally attend the first match visit as an introduction and then keep up with them and just see how the matches are going. We really want to provide this to as many older people as we can, and to make a difference and add that joy and spark back in their lives if we can.

Actually just contacting me. So if they contact me, they can call me or they can email me on info at. Aging with Grace and aging has an E in it. Org a u and my phone number is a mobile number 0491 272 417. So 0491 272 417. If they don't remember that, if they get someone to find for them the aged care volunteer visitor scheme, they'll find me because I'm listed on the Department of Health and Aged Care website, and we're actually currently we have funded placements available. They're free, as I mentioned. So we provide the service to anyone living in an aged care home or living in the community, receiving a home care package or approved and wait listed for one. So that's wonderful. So if they're approved and wait listed for a home care package or for a spot in an aged care home and they're still waiting. They are still eligible for this service and it is totally free. It's in addition to their packages, doesn't touch their packages, it doesn't touch their aged care funding, and we will find a volunteer suited to them living close by who will visit them on a weekly or fortnightly basis minimum. And they will have a friend for life. And it can be in any language they prefer, any sort of background. So we base it on the older person's preferences. If they want a male or a female or someone that's Greek or Italian or someone that was raised in the country, we will look for the right volunteer. And when I say we, I'm not talking about only aging with grace. I'm talking about the 40 or so organizations in Victoria, the same sort of numbers in New South Wales and across the country. This service is available. So if you're listening to this and you're in Western Australia, I'll connect you to my colleague in the West, in Western Australia, and we will. We are determined to get the service to you. We will keep looking until we find the right volunteer, because our volunteers, of course, need to go through a process. We don't just put anybody with an older person. They go through a national police check and a reference check and smidge of training just to make sure we've got good guidance for them. And we generally attend the first match visit as an introduction and then keep up with them and just see how the matches are going. We really want to provide this to as many older people as we can, and to make a difference and add that joy and spark back in their lives if we can.

Well, I've been speaking today with Asis Tawfik, CEO of aging with Grace, who's here to talk to me all about the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme and the vital impact it can have on so many older Australians. SS thank you so much for your time today. It was a pleasure to catch up with you and hear all about the scheme.

Well, I've been speaking today with Asis Tawfik, CEO of aging with Grace, who's here to talk to me all about the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme and the vital impact it can have on so many older Australians. SS thank you so much for your time today. It was a pleasure to catch up with you and hear all about the scheme.

I'm really grateful to you, Sam, for giving me this time. Thank you.

I'm really grateful to you, Sam, for giving me this time. Thank you.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Asis Taufik from aging with Grace. If you missed any part of that interview with ASIS or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website at VA radio.org. That's VA radio all one word.org. Or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And now continuing on with the show, our next guest this week on Talking Vision is the creative producer from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here to tell me all about Story Source, an audio based story platform aimed at kids from 7 to 10 to inspire them to tell their own stories. Her name is Verity Hunt-ballard and she joins me now. Verity, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Asis Taufik from aging with Grace. If you missed any part of that interview with ASIS or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website at VA radio.org. That's VA radio all one word.org. Or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. And now continuing on with the show, our next guest this week on Talking Vision is the creative producer from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, who's here to tell me all about Story Source, an audio based story platform aimed at kids from 7 to 10 to inspire them to tell their own stories. Her name is Verity Hunt-ballard and she joins me now. Verity, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.

Thank you so much for having me, Sam.

Thank you so much for having me, Sam.

Could you tell us a little bit about the work of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation and why a service is so valuable to the community?

Could you tell us a little bit about the work of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation and why a service is so valuable to the community?

I can the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, or ANF, is a national charity assisting people in our most marginalised communities to gain vital language, literacy and communication skills. Our programs address the needs of a diverse range of individuals and communities, specifically targeting First Nations refugees and other vulnerable Australians. We believe that all Australians have the right to literacy, because being able to read and write is the key to accessing education and employment, and to participating fully in society.

I can the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, or ANF, is a national charity assisting people in our most marginalised communities to gain vital language, literacy and communication skills. Our programs address the needs of a diverse range of individuals and communities, specifically targeting First Nations refugees and other vulnerable Australians. We believe that all Australians have the right to literacy, because being able to read and write is the key to accessing education and employment, and to participating fully in society.

What services do you offer that specifically support the needs of the blind and low vision community? I know that's a journey that Ironfx is just starting off on, but what sort of ambitions do you have in that space?

What services do you offer that specifically support the needs of the blind and low vision community? I know that's a journey that Ironfx is just starting off on, but what sort of ambitions do you have in that space?

Well, we're incredibly excited, really, to be working with Amazon and Vision Australia. This is our first step in specifically supporting the needs of the blind and low vision community. So yeah, we're very excited to be able to partner with such a trusted organisation so that we can expand our support in this way. But I guess our charity is for children generally, so our programs are very much individualised, but also to support communities. And so that ranges from self-expression. And in the many, many ways that children express themselves through art, music, literacy, the ways that our programs are expanding, and also through partnering with people like yourselves so that we can keep progressing and keep learning and giving meaningful support that is needed.

Well, we're incredibly excited, really, to be working with Amazon and Vision Australia. This is our first step in specifically supporting the needs of the blind and low vision community. So yeah, we're very excited to be able to partner with such a trusted organisation so that we can expand our support in this way. But I guess our charity is for children generally, so our programs are very much individualised, but also to support communities. And so that ranges from self-expression. And in the many, many ways that children express themselves through art, music, literacy, the ways that our programs are expanding, and also through partnering with people like yourselves so that we can keep progressing and keep learning and giving meaningful support that is needed.

And speaking of collaborations, Verity, what's it been like collaborating with Amazon over recent times with the Alexa technology that's contributed to the Story Source project?

And speaking of collaborations, Verity, what's it been like collaborating with Amazon over recent times with the Alexa technology that's contributed to the Story Source project?

Our partnership with Amazon really is an incredible one. This is one of the many collaborations that we have done with Amazon over the last little while, I think because Olaf and story source for Alexa is such a fun and engaging way for kids that are age 7 to 10 to practice their comprehension skills, boost their vocabulary, and sharpen their focus. It's very rewarding for the team to be working on such a skill like this. Amazon's certainly supported us with the technical aspect of it, and we could probably at Olaf, bring the educational expertise from our team as well as the creative nous. Yeah, Amazon really has been incredible and we couldn't have done it without their support and their vision. And yeah, it's a it's a partnership. We're incredibly proud of Verity.

Our partnership with Amazon really is an incredible one. This is one of the many collaborations that we have done with Amazon over the last little while, I think because Olaf and story source for Alexa is such a fun and engaging way for kids that are age 7 to 10 to practice their comprehension skills, boost their vocabulary, and sharpen their focus. It's very rewarding for the team to be working on such a skill like this. Amazon's certainly supported us with the technical aspect of it, and we could probably at Olaf, bring the educational expertise from our team as well as the creative nous. Yeah, Amazon really has been incredible and we couldn't have done it without their support and their vision. And yeah, it's a it's a partnership. We're incredibly proud of Verity.

On that point that you do mention there about your services for children. We've been hearing a bit about story source and how popular that's been. So how did that come about and why is that such an important project that ENF is so proud of?

On that point that you do mention there about your services for children. We've been hearing a bit about story source and how popular that's been. So how did that come about and why is that such an important project that ENF is so proud of?

Well, we are incredibly proud of it. Collectively, Olaf and Amazon, we were very determined to create a piece of audio or an audio experience that was unique and meaningful and also Australian for the audio landscape for primary school aged kids, because in Australia we do listen to an incredible amount of American content that's available in the digital space, and we wanted to produce high quality audio stories that would allow children to enjoy our own diverse stories, rather than something imported from overseas. So we collaborated with Amazon and built a skill from scratch, which is quite a feat to build interactive skill. And we worked with the amazing sound designer Paul Rusk, who created an incredible sound design for these audio stories and then narrated by some of Australia's top actors. They were edited for the audio space, and then with Amazon, we were able to really do a lot of research in terms of what is it that is going to help kids orally with the comprehension, not just passively listening to a story, which is incredibly important to, but what is it that we can offer from Olaf in terms of our experience and skill base, to offer carefully crafted comprehension questions, so that the experience for, for listeners and for kids is that you're getting that kind of educational experience throughout listening to this story. So the way that it's crafted is that you can listen to half of this audio story, and then Alexa will stop you and say, and would you like to answer some questions about the story? And so children are able to answer the questions, and then the story goes on, and they can answer questions at the end. And you can through that experience, earn yourself a story sauce bottle. So if the story was a mystery story, say, you might earn yourself a mystery sauce bottle. And so it was amazing being part of a team that could build something from the ground up and really listen to teachers, to parents, to students aged between 7 and 10 years old about what is it that is an engaging and fun way to help literacy and to also inspire kids to write their own stories. Because I feel if you're just listening to content from overseas, somehow children think, well, maybe my own story isn't worth exploring or hearing. Yeah. So that was kind of how it started to create, and the response has been incredible.

Well, we are incredibly proud of it. Collectively, Olaf and Amazon, we were very determined to create a piece of audio or an audio experience that was unique and meaningful and also Australian for the audio landscape for primary school aged kids, because in Australia we do listen to an incredible amount of American content that's available in the digital space, and we wanted to produce high quality audio stories that would allow children to enjoy our own diverse stories, rather than something imported from overseas. So we collaborated with Amazon and built a skill from scratch, which is quite a feat to build interactive skill. And we worked with the amazing sound designer Paul Rusk, who created an incredible sound design for these audio stories and then narrated by some of Australia's top actors. They were edited for the audio space, and then with Amazon, we were able to really do a lot of research in terms of what is it that is going to help kids orally with the comprehension, not just passively listening to a story, which is incredibly important to, but what is it that we can offer from Olaf in terms of our experience and skill base, to offer carefully crafted comprehension questions, so that the experience for, for listeners and for kids is that you're getting that kind of educational experience throughout listening to this story. So the way that it's crafted is that you can listen to half of this audio story, and then Alexa will stop you and say, and would you like to answer some questions about the story? And so children are able to answer the questions, and then the story goes on, and they can answer questions at the end. And you can through that experience, earn yourself a story sauce bottle. So if the story was a mystery story, say, you might earn yourself a mystery sauce bottle. And so it was amazing being part of a team that could build something from the ground up and really listen to teachers, to parents, to students aged between 7 and 10 years old about what is it that is an engaging and fun way to help literacy and to also inspire kids to write their own stories. Because I feel if you're just listening to content from overseas, somehow children think, well, maybe my own story isn't worth exploring or hearing. Yeah. So that was kind of how it started to create, and the response has been incredible.

Well, speaking of that response, how has the feedback gone so far? What's been the response to story source and the program's ability to enable kids to build confidence in their own story, writing and listening to stories that matter and, you know, they can go away thinking, oh wow, this is really cool. I, you know, I'm full of ideas now. I'm really excited to put these ideas down on paper and start writing creatively.

Well, speaking of that response, how has the feedback gone so far? What's been the response to story source and the program's ability to enable kids to build confidence in their own story, writing and listening to stories that matter and, you know, they can go away thinking, oh wow, this is really cool. I, you know, I'm full of ideas now. I'm really excited to put these ideas down on paper and start writing creatively.

The response has been great. We put quite a bit of time into asking teachers, parents, kids whilst building this so that it was a meaningful product, that it wasn't just a bunch of adults going, well, this is what we feel kids need to be listening to it really. Um, we took a lot of time to, to listen to kids because kids between 7 and 10 years old now are so savvy in the digital space, and it's different to when we were kids. So we put a lot of time into that. And then since the product has been available, the response has been hugely positive in terms of families, especially being able to turn on story source and know that it's not only incredibly entertaining, but it's educational and it's safe. It's all completely moderated in terms of being a safe space, and we were really lucky to collaborate with Amazon in launching Story Source at the Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, where we were able to take some Olaf ambassadors to perform in front of 500 students from remote communities outside of Cairns. And the five ambassadors spoke about storytelling in their different ways. There were lots of children there from lots of diverse backgrounds, and we were able to kind of combine a live experience with offering the story source on Alexa, which which the students were able to take home. And that was a wonderful experience for kids to see a person or hear a person, or feel a person's journey as a storyteller and then go, hey, I might have a story to tell. And a lot of them said it inspired me to go home and create my own story, whether that's writing it, whether that's recording it, whether that's having someone else write it for them. I think technology is amazing, the way that it can support kids with loads of different challenges in the digital space.

The response has been great. We put quite a bit of time into asking teachers, parents, kids whilst building this so that it was a meaningful product, that it wasn't just a bunch of adults going, well, this is what we feel kids need to be listening to it really. Um, we took a lot of time to, to listen to kids because kids between 7 and 10 years old now are so savvy in the digital space, and it's different to when we were kids. So we put a lot of time into that. And then since the product has been available, the response has been hugely positive in terms of families, especially being able to turn on story source and know that it's not only incredibly entertaining, but it's educational and it's safe. It's all completely moderated in terms of being a safe space, and we were really lucky to collaborate with Amazon in launching Story Source at the Cairns Tropical Writers Festival, where we were able to take some Olaf ambassadors to perform in front of 500 students from remote communities outside of Cairns. And the five ambassadors spoke about storytelling in their different ways. There were lots of children there from lots of diverse backgrounds, and we were able to kind of combine a live experience with offering the story source on Alexa, which which the students were able to take home. And that was a wonderful experience for kids to see a person or hear a person, or feel a person's journey as a storyteller and then go, hey, I might have a story to tell. And a lot of them said it inspired me to go home and create my own story, whether that's writing it, whether that's recording it, whether that's having someone else write it for them. I think technology is amazing, the way that it can support kids with loads of different challenges in the digital space.

Yeah, that technology just absolutely does open up so many worlds to so many kids out there. And, um, in terms of story source itself, it is quite accessible, isn't it, Verity, in the way that it focuses on audio? So much so that also makes it quite accessible for kids who are blind or have low vision. But what sort of other components are there with story source that people can really take away and find out about, I suppose.

Yeah, that technology just absolutely does open up so many worlds to so many kids out there. And, um, in terms of story source itself, it is quite accessible, isn't it, Verity, in the way that it focuses on audio? So much so that also makes it quite accessible for kids who are blind or have low vision. But what sort of other components are there with story source that people can really take away and find out about, I suppose.

Well, story source is accessible to to everyone that has an Alexa echo device, and there's great resources that you can access in terms of setting that up. But that was really taken into account in terms of it does feel like in the digital space, everything is so visual heavy, even in schools and things, and we wanted to create something where it wasn't so visual and also not over stimulating as well, the kind of over stimuli that kids can get through all the senses these days. I think we've really paced the stories so that it should be hopefully a relaxing experience rather than I know a lot of response from parents were in the entertainment space. I feel like my children are ramped up or kind of hyperactive after they've experienced a lot of digital offerings. And so we have paced the stories so that they are hopefully a kind of calm activity. Yeah.

Well, story source is accessible to to everyone that has an Alexa echo device, and there's great resources that you can access in terms of setting that up. But that was really taken into account in terms of it does feel like in the digital space, everything is so visual heavy, even in schools and things, and we wanted to create something where it wasn't so visual and also not over stimulating as well, the kind of over stimuli that kids can get through all the senses these days. I think we've really paced the stories so that it should be hopefully a relaxing experience rather than I know a lot of response from parents were in the entertainment space. I feel like my children are ramped up or kind of hyperactive after they've experienced a lot of digital offerings. And so we have paced the stories so that they are hopefully a kind of calm activity. Yeah.

Yeah. For sure. You know, any entertainment I think can have that potential. So that's great to hear that that sort of also been taken into account to like keep the energy levels balanced and relaxed and make life easier for parents and all that sort of thing around Australia. But in terms of how people can find out a little bit more about Alf and story source Verity, where is the best place for people to head to?

Yeah. For sure. You know, any entertainment I think can have that potential. So that's great to hear that that sort of also been taken into account to like keep the energy levels balanced and relaxed and make life easier for parents and all that sort of thing around Australia. But in terms of how people can find out a little bit more about Alf and story source Verity, where is the best place for people to head to?

Well, you can go to Olaf. Org. Um, and there's a lot of information there about story source. Story source is available on Amazon Kids. And yeah, it's been such a pleasure for us to feel part of, you know, because Olaf works predominantly with disadvantage. So sometimes children feel that my story isn't worthy or my voice isn't worthy, or somebody else would create a story like that because they come from a different background, or they don't have the challenges or the disability that I have. And one of our main goals was to say that often, you know, imagination comes from so many different places, and if we can inspire kids to write their own stories, then that's our job done.

Well, you can go to Olaf. Org. Um, and there's a lot of information there about story source. Story source is available on Amazon Kids. And yeah, it's been such a pleasure for us to feel part of, you know, because Olaf works predominantly with disadvantage. So sometimes children feel that my story isn't worthy or my voice isn't worthy, or somebody else would create a story like that because they come from a different background, or they don't have the challenges or the disability that I have. And one of our main goals was to say that often, you know, imagination comes from so many different places, and if we can inspire kids to write their own stories, then that's our job done.

Also, remember, we're giving away Amazon Echo prize packs thanks to Olaf, Amazon and our children's radio show Happy Pants so people can also visit VA radio.org to enter now. I've been speaking today with Verity Hunt-ballard from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation all about story, source and the work that Lnf has been doing over the past little while in collaboration with Amazon and Vision Australia. Verity, thank you so much for your time today. It was a pleasure to catch up and hear all about story source.

Also, remember, we're giving away Amazon Echo prize packs thanks to Olaf, Amazon and our children's radio show Happy Pants so people can also visit VA radio.org to enter now. I've been speaking today with Verity Hunt-ballard from the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation all about story, source and the work that Lnf has been doing over the past little while in collaboration with Amazon and Vision Australia. Verity, thank you so much for your time today. It was a pleasure to catch up and hear all about story source.

Thank you so much, Sam. It's lovely to speak with you.

Thank you so much, Sam. It's lovely to speak with you.

And that's all the time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember we love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Kerley saying bye for now.

And that's all the time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week. And remember we love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Kerley saying bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one 308 474106 or by visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one 308 474106 or by visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.