A sense of hope can be fragile and tenuous, at times elusive, even in the prosperous corner of the world we live in. If you are struggling to find secure work, to pay your rent or are socially isolated, it can be corrosive for personal confidence and feelings of hope. At the Brotherhood of St Laurence, we see this every day in our work. But, equally, we see the rays of hope in the extraordinary potential people have to turn their lives around.
As a community, we all need to take the time to really ‘see’ the people pushed to the margins of our society. When we learn not to blame, to explore people’s aspirations and genuinely connect, there is so much potential to turn around a human narrative.
Let me share one story that stays with me: a young man with learning difficulties who was so bullied at school that he just stopped attending. Living in an outer suburb, and with few friends his own age, the teenager literally retreated to his bedroom. And he mostly stayed there – for months.
Yet his potential couldn’t be written off, and with the intervention of the right support services and new connections, he was eventually coaxed back into the world he had retreated from. The teenager joined one of our youth employment programs and is now flourishing, realising the potential he always had. He has found a job, new confidence and meaning. He has a real sense of hope.
There are so many arcs of hope in the community, and that is why we created The Hope Prize, to encourage nuanced writing that captures the resilience of the human spirit amid adversity and hardship. We wanted to collect the stories that defy conventional stereotypes of ‘the poor’ and reflect the humanity, resilience and capacity for hope we know that people – and communities – show in difficult times.
This is the second time our short story competition has been run, thanks to the generous philanthropy of the late Prue Myer and her family. We were overwhelmed by nearly 900 stories from talented writers all over Australia. As you can imagine, choosing a shortlist proved a tough task. This anthology showcases the best work.
I thank our wonderful judging panel comprising Cate Blanchett, Quentin Bryce and Kate Grenville for their participation in this unique project. We have also had the generous support of Mark Rubbo, Managing Director of Readings book chain, and Dan Ruffino, Managing Director of Simon & Schuster Australia, the publisher of this inspiring book.