For over 10 years, SWF has been running the Russ the Story Bus Program.Russ is a retired school bus that has been converted into a moving children’s library. Across a 10-week annual tour. Russ brings a high-profile writer to talk to over 10,000 students from disadvantaged schools in Western Sydney and Regional NSW, as well ...
Sydney Writers' Festival
Russ the Story Bus
GOAL
$87,300
Australia > NSW > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Arts and culture
- Education/training and employment
Target Population
- General population
Sydney Writers' Festival
Sydney Writers’ Festival brings together a broad and engaged community around the sharing of books, writing and ideas.
Each May, we host brilliant storytellers across all forms in a thoughtful, challenging, riotous fun week-long celebration of writing, books and ideas at our home at Carriageworks in Sydney’s Inner West and across the city. Since our first Festival in 1997, the world’s best novelists, poets, journalists, public intellectuals, economists, politicians, podcasters and scientists have come together to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our times on our stages. By showcasing a wide range of Australian and international writers, the Festival helps sustain Australia’s literary community and culture as a whole. We are proud to present a Festival that through careful curation acts as a barometer of the world around us, and offers an invitation to hear new ideas, stories and voices in our beautiful city.
Our programming speaks – urgently and clearly – to the world as it is today and showcases contemporary and diverse writers including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, this land’s first storytellers.
Audience accessibility is at the heart of our Festival programming. We run a free podcast program, one-third of our events are free, and our Live & Local streaming program beams the Festival from our home in Carriageworks to regional libraries and community centres right across the country.
Since 2014 we have been operating the Russ the Story Bus Program to service low socio-economic schools in Western Sydney and Regional NSW.
Project Summary
For over 10 years, SWF has been running the Russ the Story Bus Program.
Russ is a retired school bus that has been converted into a moving children’s library. Across a 10-week annual tour. Russ brings a high-profile writer to talk to over 10,000 students from disadvantaged schools in Western Sydney and Regional NSW, as well as the opportunity for children to pick their own book to take home.
For many of these students, this will be the first book that they own and up to 250 children take part in a visit, which includes two 45-minute presentations and ample time to visit Russ the Story Bus to browse and select a book to keep.
Schools selected for a visit from Russ the Story Bus typically:
- Score below 1000 on the ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage)
- Have high First Nations student enrolments
- Have over 50% of students who speak a language other than English at home.
Our current bus is over 35 years old and showing signs of a well-loved journey, and we need urgent support to purchase a new bus and keep Russ on the road.
Project Outcomes
The Russ the Story Bus program aims to inspire an early love of reading that lasts a lifetime.
Helping to integrate literacy-based learning at school with the home environment is a key focus for Russ, strengthening long-term learning outcomes. Allowing students to select their own book also connects their literacy learning at school with the home environment, regardless of challenges experienced in the that environment.
The immediate outcomes of the previous tour
• Over 10,000 students saw an inspiring author talk and had their choice of book to take home, the majority from disadvantaged schools.
• 90% of schools visited had an index of socio-economic advantage (ICSEA) score of less than 1000.
• Over 15,000 books were given away as well as classroom-based educational packs to teachers.
• Over 17% of participating students identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
• Over 45% spoke a language other than English at home.
• 11 professional children’s authors and illustrators were given gainful employment.
Since 2014 we have visited over 70,000 sudents. Currently we can only visit 40% of the schools who submit an EOI to us each year showing an increasing need and urgency for our program.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $360,377
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship and other smaller Foundations | $66,370 |
| SWF Festival Contribution & Patron donations | $56,707 |
| Book In-kind Donations | $150,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Performer & Artist Fees (10 authors at $500 per day for 5 days each) | $25,000 |
| Artist Travel & Accommodation | $10,000 |
| Book Expenses (In Kind) | $150,000 |
| Program Manager July – December, Casual Production Crew,, Staffing On-Costs | $48,837 |
| Mechanical Works, Secure bus parking and storage, support vehicle hire | $41,300 |
| Registration, Insurance, Petrol and Road Tolls, Bus Driver Fees, equipment lighting and AV | $37,000 |
| Contingency | $10,000 |
| Marketing, design and print and Book Expenses (to purchase ) | $38,240 |
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