Sydney Story Factory co-founder Catherine Keenan named Australia’s Local Hero

Sydney Story Factory co-founder Catherine Keenan has been named Australia’s Local Hero as part of the 2016 Australia Day Honours for her work as a youth educator.

Keenan, who previously worked as a journalist, arts writer and literary editor at the Sydney Morning Herald, is the co-founder and executive director of the Sydney Story Factory, a not-for-profit creative writing centre focussed on helping marginalised young Australians.

Based in Redfern, the centre runs free creative writing and storytelling programs designed to develop young people’s writing skills and enhance their creativity, with a focus on helping people from Indigenous and non-English speaking backgrounds.

Keenan launched the centre with co-founder Tim Dick in 2011, having been inspired by similar projects in the US, and has since gone on to raise funds, establish partnerships and train more than 1200 volunteers. The centre has seen more than 6000 student enrolments since its launch.

In her acceptance speech, Keenan emphasised the importance of storytelling to children’s development. ‘Telling stories is a fundamental part of being human. It’s how we understand the world around us, and how we convince others to work with us to change it … it is how we show who we are to the world,’ she said. ‘Giving young people creative opportunities amplifies who they are and who they might become.’

The Australian of the Year awards ceremony was held in Canberra on 25 January. To see the list of state and territory finalists for the Local Hero award, visit the website here.

Category: Local news