STP Going Strong in Western Australia
On 9 August, PF Australia (Western Australia) celebrated its 34th Sycamore Tree Project®. The course, the fifth to be run in Casuarina prison, included twelve prisoner and seven victim participants. They each reported meeting their personal goals for participating in the programme. Participant comments included:
“Life changing experience; [I was] able to release feelings and forgive, to move on with my life in a productive way.”
“I saw through the victims my own family members’ love, sadness, joy, forbearance, forgiveness. – Nice to be human.”
After the session five on forgiveness, one victim struggling with the ongoing effects of childhood sexual abuse reported, “ …strongly believe I have made a breakthrough and if only you knew how I felt when it was happening. ...I feel free. … I’m actually enjoying my existence.”
The next course in Casuarina is scheduled for October – December 2010. Prison Fellowship in other Australian states are working toward implementation with PF in Queensland planning to run a pilot in October 2010.
