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Being an author and teaching artist has in turn taught me so much. Most enlightening has been learning about the many outstanding grant-based and donor-funded programs available to South Florida parents and their children. Because of these programs, many parents have affordable and often free before and after care options, so they can work to support their families financially. And there’s so much more to these wonderful programs, including dedicated staff members.

Kids in Distress was created to for “the prevention of child abuse, preservation of the family, and the treatment of abused and neglected children.” Since 1979, the Broward chapter has been educating children through their preschools, aftercare program and day camps. They support families with numerous programs such as adoption, foster care, recovery services, and health and counseling services. The Children’s Services Council of Broward is at the forefront of this agency’s funding.

I was thrilled to be invited to present my literacy program to 75 students who participate in the MOST Aftercare Program, under the direction of Kevin Bochenek. These kids were curious, eager to learn and asked me more questions than I’ve ever been asked before. By the end of the author visit, they had a new appreciation for the biodiversity of the rainforest and seemed excited about reading more about it on their own.

Learning about the many animals species of the rain forest is so exciting!

We learned about the importance of geography literacy and reading maps.

One five-year-old boy knew how birds are responsible for planting so many trees (Yes, they poop out the seeds!)

Any and every child who has the privilege of learning with MOST Director Kevin Bochenek is lucky indeed. Kevin has been a dedicated child advocate for more than 25 years, and he’s so kind and caring with the children.

I love seeing art projects made by the children, and this beautiful facility has them decorating their bright walls.

The charming children’s library offers kids a wide variety or reading and learning options.

I want to thank Kevin from Kids in Distress for inviting me to present Lilly Badilly and all the children for making my day so bright. Keep reading and learning!

Readers, to contact Kids in Distress, click here. For more information about foster parenting, volunteering or mentoring, click here.

Days of being an author – is called crazy-good and up-for-air.  Madly frantic!!!!

Racing from KINGS School, to TARA Girls School to Murray Farm Public School  to share my I AM JACK books and ‘Elephants Have Wings.’  The librarians are so hospitable – I got well fed and lots of coffee and I got to share my books with gorgeous kids.

Then it’s Gleebook shop Book Launch of Alice Pung’s first young adult novel – Laurinda – launched by my friend and colleague Melina Marchetta. Both Alice and Melina are Room to Read Writer Ambassadors like I am.  We’re all on a mission to get books to kids in the developing world.

Then it’s off to a fabulous Indian restaurant with the Room to Read team led by Jennie Orchard and stayed too late because I was having a great time.

Highlight was the citizenship ceremony at Woollahra Council. I addressed a packed house overlooking the beautiful harbour. Purple-blue jacaranda trees heavy with flowers greeted em and I got to hang out with the Mayor Of Woollahra Toni Zeltzer. Loved the gold chains and warm welcome by Toni and all the Council staff but more than that – I had the privilege of addressing 36 new Australians – from Hungary, Germany, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan …

I am an Australia Day Ambassador – it’s something I love doing. I’ll be flying to speak in Tamworth this year on Australia Day.

It was moving addressing the 36 new Australians and their families and friends from countries as diverse as Thailand, Singapore, Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, UK  … Pakistan.  The Pakistan young man and his 3 young friends were beside themselves that they became Australians today.

I loved speaking to them about our immigrant country that embraced them all and I did a show and tell and held up my Order of Australia.

They loved it. I loved it and it was very special. Made me think about my parents and their journey here.

The post Melina Marchetta, Schools and Citizenship address appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

Love the committee meetings where we select great books for disadvantaged and indigenous kids across Western Sydney, the Outback Northern Territory.

Andrew Berhut MD of Scholastic singing Hokey Pokey in tune with a new title was hilarious. Hokey Pokey is on the list of books that children can chose for their very own. Andrew really supports his books!

Gillian Maugle represents school librarians on the committee and is fabulous.

As a Role Model I’ll be presenting at the Assembly for Books in Homes, to Curran Public School Macquarie Fields in Western Sydney on 18th June – looking forward to it.

SCBWI – Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Australia east and New Zealand is proud to support Book in Homes.

www.booksinhomesaustralia.com.au

The post Books in Homes Taking 1 Million Books to Kids appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

By Matthew Hilton

On 30 January 2014 the UK government’s lobbying bill received the Royal Assent. Know more formally known as the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act, it seeks to curb the excesses in election campaign expenditure, as well as restricting the influence of the trade unions.

However, as various groups pointed out throughout its controversial parliamentary journey, Part 2 of the legislation will also have implications for charities, voluntary societies and non-governmental organisations once it comes into effect. Specifically, in restricting the amount of expenditure that non-party political bodies can spend ahead of a general election, it will severely curtail their lobbying, campaigning and advocacy work that has been a standard feature of their activities for some decades.

Understandably the sector has not welcomed the Act. The problem is that the legislation conflates general political lobbying with campaigning for a specific cause that is central to the charitable mission of an organisation. Sector leaders have critiqued the Bill as ‘awful’, ‘an absolute mess’ and ‘a real threat to democracy’.

It is not difficult to see why. The impact of charities on legislation in Britain has been profound and the examples run into many hundreds of specific Acts of Parliament. To mention but a few, a whole range of environmental groups successfully lobbied for the Climate Change Act 2008. Homelessness charities such as Shelter and the Child Poverty Action Group fought a battle for many years that resulted in the Housing Act 1977. The 1969 abolition of the death penalty can be partly attributed to the National Campaign for the Abolition of Capital Punishment and two pieces of legislation in 1967, the Sexual Offences Act and the Abortion Act, were very much influenced by the work of the Homosexual Law Reform Society and the Abortion Law Reform Association.

A group of campaigners from Christian Aid lobbying for Trade Justice, Oxford, 2005. By Kaihsu Tai. CC-BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The list could run on and on, but the impact of advocacy by charities on the policy process has become far more extensive than the straightforward lobbying of MPs. Charities have been key witnesses in Royal Commissions, for instance. From the 1944 Commission on Equal Pay Act through to the 1993 Commission on Criminal Justice, voluntary organisations contributed over a 1,000 written submissions. At Whitehall, they have sought a continued presence along the corridors of power in much the same manner as commercial lobbying firms. They have achieved much through the often hidden and usually imprecise, unquantifiable and unknowable interpersonal relationships fostered with key civil servants, both senior and junior.

In more recent years, charities have taken advantage of early day motions in the House of Commons. Once infrequently employed, by the first decade of the 21st century, there were on average 1,875 early day motions in each parliamentary session. The most notable have managed to secure over 300 signatures and it is here that the influence of charities is particularly apparent. The topics that obtain such general — and cross-party — support have tended to be in the fields of disability, drugs, rights, public health, the environment, and road safety; all subjects on which charities have been particularly effective campaigners.

Not all of these lobbying activities have been successful. Leaders of charities have often expressed their frustration at being unable to influence politicians who refuse to listen, else being outgunned and out-voiced by lobbyists with greater financial muscle supporting their work. But the important point is that charities have had to engage in the political arena and it is the norm for them to do so. To restrict these activities now — even if only in the year in the run-up to a general election — actually serves to turn back a dominant trend in democratic participation that has come increasingly to the fore in contemporary Britain.

Having explored the history of charities, voluntary organisations and NGOs, tracing their growing power, influence and support, we found was that rather than there having been a decline in democracy over the last few decades there has actually been substantial shifts in how politics takes place. While trade unions, political parties and traditional forms of association life have witnessed varying rates of decline, support for environmental groups, humanitarian agencies and a whole range of single-issue campaigning groups has actually increased. Whether these groups represent a better or worse form of political engagement is not really the issue. The point is that the public has chosen to support charities — and charitable activity in the political realm — because ordinary citizens have felt these organisations are better placed to articulate their concerns, interests and values. As such, charities, often working at the frontier of social and political reform, but often alongside governments and the public sector, have become a crucial feature of modern liberal democracy.

One might have expected a government supposedly eager to embrace the ‘Big Society’ particular keen to free these organisations from the bureaucracy of the modern state. But it is quite clear that the Coalition has held a highly skewed, and rather old fashioned, view of appropriate charitable activity. The Conservatives imagined a world of geographically-specific, community self-help groups that might pick up litter on the roadside in their spare time at the weekend and who would never imagine that their role might be, for instance, to demand that local government obtains sufficient resources to ensure that the public sector — acting on the behalf of all citizens and not just a select few — would continue to maintain and beautify the world around us. There are clearly very different views on what charity is and what it should do.

Indeed, it is remarkable that when government spokespeople did comment on the nature of the charitable sector, they were quick to condemn the work of the bigger organisations. Lord Wei, the ‘Big Society tsar’, even went so far as to criticise the larger charities for being ‘bureaucratic and unresponsive to citizens’. With such attitudes it is no wonder the Big Society soon lost any pretence of adherence from the many thousands of bodies connected to the National Council of Voluntary Organisation.

It is tempting to see the particular form the Conservatives hoped the Big Society would take as part and parcel of a policy agenda that is connected to the lobbying bill. That is, there has never been an embrace of charities by Cameron and his ministers as the solution to society’s – and the state’s – ills. Rather, in viewing these developments alongside the huge cuts in public sector funding (which often trickled down to national and community-based charities), there has actually been a sustained attack on the very nature of charity, or at least it has developed as a sector in recent decades. It is no wonder that many charity leaders and CEOs, feeling cut off at the knees by the slashes to their budgets and damaged by the sustained abuse in the press for their mistakenly inflated salaries, now feel the Lobbying Act is seeking to gag their voice as well.

Matthew Hilton is Professor of Social History at the University of Birmingham, and the author of The Politics of Expertise: How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain, along with James McKay, Nicholas Crowson and Jean-François Mouhot. Together they also compiled ‘A Historical Guide to NGOs in Britain: Charities, Civil Society and the Voluntary Sector since 1945′ (Palgrave, 2012). All the data contained in these two volumes, as well as that found above, is freely available on their project website.

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It’s the start of 2014 & it’s drop in time before the crazy life of writing tours, events, festivals , school visits, media …. start seriously.

Where’s the drop in centre? You guessed it -The Hughenden.

I loved catching up with:-

-the award winning Albany (WA) Dianne Wolfer whose Lighthouse Girl (Fremantle Press) is a best seller!

- Monica Lizama the Chilean-Australian writer who dresses up as her character PAWS!

- Jennie Orchard with Margaret Wilcox from Room to Read who are developing the Writer Ambassador programme to raise awareness of the need to educate the kids of Asaa and Africa. SCBWI is on board with lots of our authors taking on the role of ambassadors.

- Libby Hathorn dropping in with her poetry books and she’s got a new book coming out with HarperCollins on ANZACS.

- Chris Cheng with Bini getting ready to head off to New York for the SCBWI Conference and then Bologna Book Fair  …. and other favourite creators!

Nearly ready to hit Las Vegas for the I AM JACK season at the Smith Center of performing Arts!

I’m staying at the EXCALIBUR HOTEL, so getting into princess gear … their could be some princes there. or toads!

The post Love, love, love the community of kids’ books!!! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

It’s the start of 2014 & it’s drop in time before the crazy life of writing tours, events, festivals , school visits, media …. start seriously.

Where’s the drop in centre? You guessed it -The Hughenden.

I loved catching up with:-

-the award winning Albany (WA) Dianne Wolfer whose Lighthouse Girl & Lighthouse Boy (Fremantle Press) are best sellers!

- Monica Lizama the Chilean-Australian writer who dresses up as her character PAWS!

- Jennie Orchard with Margaret Wilcox from Room to Read who are developing the Writer Ambassador programme to raise awareness of the need to educate the kids of Asaa and Africa. SCBWI is on board with lots of our authors taking on the role of ambassadors.

- Libby Hathorn dropping in with her poetry books and she’s got a new book coming out with HarperCollins on ANZACS.

- Chris Cheng with Bini getting ready to head off to New York for the SCBWI Conference and then Bologna Book Fair  …. and other favourite creators!

And I’m getting my spangles ready to hit Las Vegas for the I AM JACK season at the Smith Center of performing Arts!\

I’m staying at the EXCALIBUR HOTEL, so getting into princess gear … their could be some princes there. or toads!

The post Love, love, love the community of kids’ books!!! appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

For 40 years the Westpac helicopters have been rescuing people from the bikie gang war in Milperra,  Sydney to Hobart yacht race to the fires now!

I was proud to celebrate them tonight at the Hordern Pavilion.

Gail Kelly CEO Westpac Group spoke compellingly and so did the head of the service.

Moved by the family of fisherman with 2 young boys whose boat went down and who were saved by the Westpac helicopter. YEAH!

We rocked to Daryl Braithwaite and had a brilliant night of giving and thanking them.

The post LUV Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service – saving lives in the fires appeared first on Susanne Gervay's Blog.

What a day – driving across Sydney to speak to teenage boys at Patrician Brothers Blacktown, ending with an evening with South African writer and poet Antjie Krog at the Australian Human Rights Centre, Law Faculty, University of NSW.

Highlights:

The boys were from so many countries from Tonga, India to Sudan sharing – insights about the immigrant journey. The boys were thoughtful, intelligent and insightful.

Antjie shares insights about racism and apartheid and its devastating effects on the psyche of South Africa today. Very moving.

Antjie is staying at The Hughenden and loving Paddington-Woollahra, enjoyed walking around Centennial Parklands and walked right into the city.

The Storybook Challenge sponsored by Carpet Court brought me as an ambassador for the National Year of Reading 2012 to speak to gorgeous kids and great teachers at:-

Heathcote Public School and

Como Public School

My role:-

Read – Ships in the Field – the kids were so smart and gave fabulous insights such as the dog of war who became the flying dog, taking the hopes and dreams of refugees to their new countries.

Introduce the Storybook Challenge

Creative workshop.

The kids were enthusiastic and LOVED reading.

Libraries, libraries, libraries – you’ve got to LOVE them.

They’re spreading the reading message and as an ambassador for The National Year of Reading, I’m speaking at writers’ festivals, book launches, libraries, schools, bookshops.

Is it fantastic? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Here’s a snapshot of my May tours for The National Year of Reading  - www.love2read.org

4-6th May ~ Keynote at the Gloucester Writers festival –  www.gloucesterwritersfestival.com

6th May – Launch at Gloucester Festival  of   ‘Alien Shores’ an anthology of refugees narratives that reach into struggles, humour, life of finding home with authors including speaking Sharon Rundle and Andrew Kwong. I’ll be speaking about my story.

17th -18th May -Coff’s Harbour region speaking at schools and the Catholic Diocese of Lismore in Northern NSW Teacher-Librarian Conference

20th May – Melbourne for the launch of Alien Shores by the Human Rights QC Julian Burnside with authors, Arnold Zable, Sharon Rundle, Professor Meenakshi Bharat, Susanne Gervay at 6 p.m. Readings Bookstore Carlton. http://www.readings.com.au/review/alien-shores-by-sharon-rundle-meenakshi-bharat-eds

22nd May – Launching Alien Shores in Sydney at The Hughenden Hotel with authors Linda Jailin, Sophie Masson, Sharon Rundle, Rosie Scott with the Consul General of India www.thehughenden.com.au

23rd May- Randwick Library in Sydney for Simultaneous Reading Time where ambassadors will read to parents and littlies across Australia – can’t wait, it’s going to be gorgeous!  http://www.alia.org.au/nss/

24-May – Taree Library speaking about ‘Always Jack’ for the Biggest Morning Tea in support of the Cancer Council at Taree Library brought up by the Australian Library and Information Association

25th May -Halliday’s Point Library on North Coast NSW

28th May – speaking at 10 am in Warringah Library in Sydney’s Northern Beaches about my first picture book ‘Ships in the Field’.

29th May – Teacher Librarian Conference at Maroubra Junction Public School Sydney

That’s my MAY spreading the National Year of Reading Celebration of Books!

Love you to come along and chat to me, or log onto the www.lovetoread.org website and joi