Published on Wednesday, 9 September 2026 at 4:14:01 PM

Seaforth Primary School students discover feeling, imagination and self-expression.  

In early August, The Literature Centre had the amazing opportunity to visit Seaforth Primary School in Gosnells for a week-long Storytelling on the Road residency. We had the privilege of working with Year 3-6 students in a diverse school community, with more than half of the students having English as an Additional Language or Dialect and almost one quarter of students identifying as First Nations.

Seaforth Primary School students enthusiastically took part in creative workshops led by professional artists and The Literature Centre’s Creative Learning Associates, with activities designed to encourage artistic expression, emotional exploration and creative confidence.

Our students often struggle to connect and engage; this was an excellent experience for them.

- Deanna Johnson, Classroom Teacher at Seaforth Primary School 

The residency was led by the award-winning graphic novelist, artist and visual storyteller Aśka, who has published more than a dozen comics and books, including The Friendship Paradox and The Ninja Star. Aśka inspired students to experiment with storytelling and self-expression throughout the workshops, drawing on the SEW-Arts framework of 'feeling'.

While words usually convey communication, Aśka instead asked students to use drawing and visual storytelling to express language through the creation of mini magazines. Students were given pens, pencils, and paper and used their imagination to create artistic masterpieces. 

A Year 3 Seaforth student reflected on what they learned, saying, "My art is never wrong". Another Year 4 student said, "I am creative". In the workshops filled with smiles and laughter, quiet students also rose to the challenge and readily participated in the activities.  

A student who had been one of the most enthusiastic contributors during a workshop proudly told me that he did not usually join in or talk during class activities. During this workshop, however, he had been one of my most engaged and vocal participants. For me, this was a particularly powerful moment.

- Lise Griffiths, TLC's Creative Learning Associate.

The Literature Centre's Creative Learning Associate, Lise Griffiths, also built on Aśka’s workshops using engaging visual learning activities. Flipping through the pages of The Gift by Michael Speechley and The Red Tree by Shaun Tan, Lise encouraged students to reflect on the emotions in the books and sit with their own feelings of kindness, empathy, loneliness and hope.

At the end of the residency,  parents, teachers and students walked through a final exhibition of student work in the school library. Seaforth's Primary School Teachers expressed their shock and delight at the excellent quality of the final artworks, praising the collection of work. Another teacher highlighted that the workshops elevated their confidence as a teacher. 

Our staff and students were absolutely captivated by the few days you visited. Thank you so much, once again.

- Mike Gulberti, Deputy Principal at Seaforth Primary School 

Student surveys showed an increase in students’ confidence in sharing their ideas, with 100% of surveyed students agreeing that they would participate in the workshop activities again. These results highlight the importance of the Storytelling on the Road program in creating accessible and meaningful opportunities for students to connect, participate, and express themselves through creativity and literature.

Through workshops tailored to each school community, Storytelling on the Road supports young people’s social and emotional wellbeing, literacy skills and confidence through creative learning experiences. Next, the program will travel to South Thornlie Primary School, continuing its journey across Western Australia and bringing the SEW-Arts framework to more students and school communities.

Storytelling on the Road is proudly delivered by The Literature Centre in partnership with Healthway and The Department of Education, supporting young people's social and emotional wellbeing through creative practice. The program is informed by research from The Kids Research Institute Australia and guided by the SEW-Arts Framework.

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