A rose in the concrete
Young Aboriginal women are the budding and blossoming participants of floristry training courses in Redfern.
Flowers by Mercedes owner, Mercedes Sarmini runs a 12-week TAFE-accredited course at the World Wide Training Academy in Redfern.
Her budding students undertake 48 hours of work experience and blossom as qualified assistant florists.
Mercedes is currently accepting applications for classes commencing from August 1 to give places to 15 students. She spoke with the City Hub about the project.
How did you open the training academy and what did it involve?
“It took two years to get the academy off the ground and I received five rejections from the government before I was accepted. I didn’t pay myself a wage for a year. I did it tough financially so that I could get my teaching license and open up a school. If you believe in a dream or believe in yourself everything comes to fruition.”
Why is floristry training valuable to young people in Redfern? What is different about floristry as opposed to other industries or practices?
“This is a self-encouraged industry where you can enjoy what you’ve been working hard towards in as little as five minutes. It’s the only business where everyone is happy to see you. Colour combined with a fragrance connected to an activity can be very therapeutic. For the example, green is used to eliminate depression. Colour is the foundation of any recovery for anyone suffering depression, drug history, bipolar, people with broken backgrounds, or those who have recently graduated out of corrective services. Floristry is an activity you can enjoy inexpensively and it connects you back to the land.”
What keeps you motivated to run this project?
“I’ve suffered depression and I went through a lot of pain to be where I am today. I decided my industry was the scaffolding to my well-being. It’s worked for me. We’re all individual creatures but I’ve discovered it also works for others. It pays to come from a broken background, usually people can identify with you. You share some common ground. I was brought up in Mount Druitt and grew up around the Aboriginal community. Aboriginal people do not want to patronised. They want to be appreciated and acknowledged. That’s what I do everyday. One student I will never forget from when I was teaching in Berrima women’s jail said to me, ‘I’ve been sleeping well, I think it’s the flowers’. The colour and the fragrance were obviously effective.”
Training courses run twice each year and applications close by July 22. Find out more at www.worldwidetrainingacademy.com.au.
INTERVIEW BY MILLICENT CAFFREY
