Meet social worker and WRS volunteer Tara
In this series, we speak to WRS volunteers about their motivations and experiences travelling to Malaysia to spend time with our partner schools and organisations. For this piece, we spoke to Tara Barmby, who is currently in Kuala Lumpur.
This is where I am meant to be…
“Can anyone name a strength that they have?” Tara asks a class of young teenagers at an unofficial school for children who are displaced from Myanmar and live in Malaysia. After repeating the question with the encouragement to be brave, a female student shyly says “hard working”. “Good” says Tara, and with some further encouragement a few more hands go up; honesty, patience, a good friend are added to the growing list of strengths on the board.
There is then a deluge as students more confidently shout-out “I’m a good football player”, “I’m a good student”, “I am a good singer”, “I’m a great brother” says another drawing a laugh from his classmates. As further qualities are quickly added Tara struggles to keep up with writing them on the board. “Great” says Tara, “so there are many strengths that you have”.
Tara is a social worker from Melbourne, Australia, and is delivering psychosocial support activities to WRS partner schools, aiming to enhance students personal wellbeing and confidence. Tara arrived in Malaysia in late June 2022 and after a couple of days orientation to the schools began teaching, focusing on two schools as well as students at the Ruth Education Centre (REC) who are training to be teachers.
Tara says that she welcomed the warm reception she has received. “The principals as well as the teachers, have been really positive about the importance of teaching students these approaches that aim to enhance students overall wellbeing.” Tara goes on to explain “There are large cultural differences at play here in regards to mental health and wellbeing, so the immediate interest and uptake on the ground has been a pleasant surprise”
After teaching two classes to the trainee teachers at REC Tara says “I was really pleased to be invited on the three-day trip to the Cameron Highlands REC had and jumped at the opportunity”. Located in the hills about 200kms from Kuala Lumpur the Cameron Highlands is known for its tea plantations, orchards, nurseries and beautiful scenery.
Tara says “I completed four workshops with thirty-five students from various Chin tribal groups. We spent this time creating our Tree of Life, a narrative therapy art activity created by the Dulwich Centre in Australia. Different parts of the tree represent different parts of one’s life, for example the tree “roots” are our heritage, culture, traditions etc. It’s my favourite activity to run with young people of refugee background. Also seeing them share their trees in small groups, there’s a sense of pride and identity…amongst some healthy nerves.” Tara reports that “A young man said the activity made him feel more comfortable talking about himself and his life.”
Tara explains that “…this is my dream. It is where I need to be right now.” After working for four years with Chin and Karen communities in Melbourne providing settlement casework and running therapeutic programs Tara had a reasonable insight into the journeys and hardships families from these communities faced before reaching Australia. Tara says “many of the young people I worked with in Melbourne attended the unofficial schools in Malaysia which fuelled my interest. I wanted to see what I could contribute to the lives of people who are stuck in limbo, existing in Malaysia while hoping and waiting for resettlement to another country.”
Tara is intending to teach in Malaysia for up to three months. We caught up with her three weeks into that time. Asked what she was missing about Melbourne Tara responded, “Well I’m certainly not missing the cold weather, but I am missing my partner, Adam.”
Interested in volunteering with WRS? Find out more and contact us here.