Igniting the Spark of Creativity in Western Sydney

Sydney Story Factory (SSF) has announced it will open a brand new creative writing centre for young people in Parramatta in May 2018, with the support of Pantera Press as a foundational partner.

SSF specialises in building the writing skills and confidence of marginalised young people aged 7 to 17, particularly those who are Indigenous or from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Since 2012, SSF has worked with more than 9,000 children and teenagers all over NSW. In 2016, 25% of students were from Western Sydney.

The organisation’s expansion into Parramatta will be led by Dr Cath Keenan, the 2016 Australian of the Year Local Hero. “We are delighted to be partnering with Pantera Press which, like us, has a passion for uncovering new Australian stories,” says Keenan. “Our new centre will make it easier for thousands more marginalised young people to write and tell stories that have a life-changing impact on their lives.”

The partnership between Sydney Story Factory and Pantera Press represents a natural synergy between two organisations committed to effecting positive social impact and promoting Australian writing culture in its many forms.

As a young, boutique publishing house, Pantera Press actively nurtures its growing stable of talented Australian storytellers and is continually looking for new ways to foster a love of reading and close the literacy gap in Australia. The new partnership with Sydney Story Factory is just one part of an ongoing company focus, which seeks to ignite the spark of creativity in all young Australians.

Having recognised the lack of new Australian voices, as well as a much broader and more ingrained national literacy problem, Pantera Press CEO and Co-founder Alison Green established a “practise what you preach” approach to the business through Pantera Press’s good books doing good things™ initiative. Green was recently named one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence by The Australian Financial Review and Westpac for her unrelenting pursuit of philanthropic objectives through Pantera Press. She is the visionary and the force behind Pantera Press, which seeks to invest in Australian writing culture so that the next generation of Australian readers are able to enjoy stories created by the next generation of Australian writers.

Green comments, “We are an organisation built with social purpose. Partnering with the Sydney Story Factory is our next step in contributing to Australian culture.  We couldn’t be more excited to support such an incredible organisation and help launch the new Sydney Story Factory in Parramatta.”

In addition to allocating a percentage of company revenue to community projects, Pantera Press has also partnered with key community organisations, such as The Smith Family, Mission Australia, The Footpath Library and Arterie – Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, to encourage a joy of reading and bring books to those in need. Most notably, Pantera Press organised a donation of 11,000 books (worth $280,000) from its list of current titles as part of a Christmas giveaway to local and regional youth centres, homeless centres and community outreach programs and service organisations across Australia.

As well as the contribution from Pantera Press, the Sydney Story Factory has attracted significant funding from the Australian government through the Department of Communication and the Arts’ Catalyst – Australian Arts and Culture Fund, and the NSW government through the Parramatta Stronger Communities Fund. Sydney Story Factory is currently focused on raising the remaining funds required, and recruiting a director who will work with Cath Keenan to set up and launch Sydney Story Factory Parramatta.