Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Announces Successful Applicant

KATE SHEPPARD MEMORIAL TRUST ADVISORY COMMITTEE

PRESS RELEASE

Embargoed until September 19th 2016 1.00 pm

Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Announces Successful Applicant

“Suffrage day, 19 September, is a very significant and exciting time in New Zealand’s history – something we should all celebrate as a country. New Zealand has the unique privilege of being the first country to legislate for women to vote thanks to the hard work of activist, Kate Sheppard and her friends” said Judith Sutherland, Chair of the Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust.”

“Not surprisingly, this is why the Trust chose to announce the successful recipient of the 2016 Kate Sheppard Memorial Trust Award on this Suffrage day. This year’s recipient, really stood out as did her chosen area of research which is both topical and timely and will be developed in a creative way through the medium of art and oral interviews.”

“She is Amber Maree Kale, a 27 year old who is undertaking a Masters Degree at Victoria University and her thesis is entitled “The Art of Transformative Research: Exploring Former Refugee and Host-Society Integration via a Collaborative, Participatory Painting Project in Wellington City”.

“The research consists of a community-based project where Wellington host-society members and former refugees create a mural together to explore concepts of home, belonging, and visibility. The process of creating and displaying the mural aims to enhance cross-cultural connections, educate New Zealanders on the experiences of former refugees, and begin to deconstruct negative refugee stereotypes.”

“Amber’s project builds upon her involvement in a campaign to increase New Zealand’s refugee quota, in the light of the international refugee crisis. Through interweaving academia and activism, Amber aims to ensure that her research is beneficial to the local communities involved.”

Judith Sutherland said “the need for dissemination of Amber’s work is very important as it will benefit all New Zealanders and so the mural will be shared with the wider public to capture public interest and enhance knowledge on refugee experiences”.

“The Trust is very pleased to be able to continue to assist talented women achieve their dreams. Given the disenfranchisement of young people around the world, the research being undertaken by this year’s recipient will be very important to New Zealand in its debate around the international refugee crisis. We are sure that Kate Sheppard would be proud to lend her name to such a worthwhile area of study.”

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