Gladstone Youth for Cultural Diversity group (GYCD) has just released their new project “Youth Exchange”. Youth Exchange is an outdoor library, which features an old filing cabinet hand painted, and drawers full of books and information leaflets for the local community to use. Everybody is encouraged to take a book to read, understand the various contexts or drop a book off. The project’s first installation was launched Tuesday 9th May 2017 and is located at the front of Welcoming Intercultural Neighbours Inc.’s (WIN) office at 10 Tank Street.
“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” ~ Garrison Keillor
The Youth Exchange project aims to encourage local members to connect and communicate through the words inside a book whilst exchanging one of their own as a gift of knowledge for future readers, taking ‘sharing’ and ‘gifting’ into a whole new level.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one.” ~ George RR Martin
The group also intends to raise more understanding and inclusion in the community through the distribution of books that has differences in perspectives, beliefs and cultures.
Anyone who is interested in being part of the library exchange and provide books from different and appropriate genres (ranging from fictional, children’s, college’s, cultural, cooking books and a whole lot more), you are more than welcome to leave the books in the draw. Locals could also donate old filing cabinets that are still in good condition for GYCD to use. More than 200 books have been collected already and GYCD is looking for more.
Formed in 2014, Gladstone Youth for Cultural Diversity (GYCD) group involves young people aged between 12-25. The group formed to run community awareness activities and engage the media and key stakeholders in informed conversations and activities about cultural diversity and multiculturalism. Since its formation, the WIN Gladstone Youth for Cultural Diversity group has successfully coordinating cultural events, managed activities and projects, promoting positive messages about cultural diversity and provided an opportunity for young people to get involved in their community.
For more information visit WIN’s website: www.win-australia.org.au and go to their youth services, contact us directly on 0487 422 142 or email admin@win-australia.org.au.