Winners are Givers

“Being new in a country can be a very lonely and daunting experience,” admits filmmaker Ana Tiwary. “But going out there and volunteering can be a fantastic way of networking and making new friends.” Tiwary was recently nominated into the 10 finalists for the NSW Woman of the Year Award for doing exactly that.

Moving to Australia in 2007, with no connections and little knowledge of how the Australian media industry worked, Tiwary researched, planned and designed a mentoring program for three months before finally launching the Media Mentorship for Women (MMW) program in July 2008, for which she was nominated into the Award.

In Mentorship Round 1, 75 women were accepted into the program and 38 were matched successfully with mentors in the industry. In Round 2 the program has received 80 applications and the matching process is on at the moment.

To me, it seemed odd at first that a woman, struggling to establish her own career in a new country, would start off by trying to help others. “I found out that the number of women in technical areas in the media industry had dropped in the past 10 years and felt that something needed to be done to change these declining numbers,” recollects Tiwary. And there was a personal angle as well. “I felt that I would greatly benefit from having a mentor in my field of work,” she says.

Often one individual’s quest for an answer or solution, resolves the same problems for the entire community. Just as Tiwari’s recognition of the importance of a mentor, lead her to develop a program that now helps women in the mainstream film industry, another Indian woman’s pursuit to ensure her children continue to learn and respect their culture, lead to a school, that now acts as a centre for the entire migrant Indian community.

Mala Mehta, won the Hornsby Woman of the Year Award 2009 as part of the NSW Woman of the Year Award ceremony, for her contribution to the community through the Indo-Aust Bal Barathi Vidyalaya (IABBV) Hindi School. Mehta says, “I did not want my daughter to forget Hindi.”

She was obviously not alone in this need—“There were a lot of Indian expatriates in the area—some who were only here for a short time, and felt that their children should continue to learn Hindi. I also found it difficult to teach my daughter at home—it is always easier to teach with others around.”

Established in 1987 the IABBV is the first Hindi-language institution in Sydney, and today runs 12 different classes having more than 140 students.

Though the initial ideas for both initiatives were in response to a personal need, both women recognised the importance of giving to the society that they were now calling home.

Mehta ran the school as a free institute for 12 years—and even now charges a nominal fee to ensure structured learning, combined with committed teaching and attendance. Even today she accepts that the Award is hardly recognition of simply her individual contribution. “The award is not just for me. It is recognition for the entire community—the women who help run the school, the teachers, and especially the parents,” acknowledges Mehta.

Tiwary similarly put in selfless hard work for the mentorship program to take shape. “I decided to put aside one year of my life to volunteer full-time to ensure that the program has strong foundations and will be sustainable in the long run,” says Tiwary. “I spent days and many nights trying to get funding, sponsors and mentors on board and running every aspect of the program with the support of the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) NSW committee. All the hard work has paid off, because the program is not only very popular in the media industry circuits but has been successful beyond my expectations,” she adds.

As with all socially beneficial efforts, there is the supreme sense of satisfaction that can rarely come from a personal achievement. “I feel I am involved in something very valuable and helping women filmmakers has been a tremendously rewarding and fulfilling experience for me,” says Tiwary.

“A lot of immigrants, especially women who are waiting for their PR or are finding it hard to find paid jobs, will benefit greatly from volunteering a few hours a week. You will not only learn about mainstream society, improve your language, social and professional skills, but also get a sense of satisfaction from giving back to the country that has given you wonderful opportunities,” advices Tiwary.

Her message to new Migrants: “Please do not feel that you have nothing to offer or that you don’t have the skills to make a difference. Immigrants bring with them a wealth of knowledge, rich experience and unique ideas that if put into action, can make a positive difference in mainstream society. Do not wait for someone to create opportunities for you, do not feel helpless and alienated, go ahead and take initiative, be involved in Australian society and make it your own.”