Founded in 2010, Treehouse Theatre is a non-profit organisation, based in NSW Australia.
Treehouse Theatre provides a platform for young refugees to share their life stories. Through a live public theatre performance, young refugees share their true personal stories with friends, family and the wider community. Treehouse Theatre currently schedules 2 formal programs per year. The programs are called “Tree of Life” and “Suitcase Stories”. Each program runs for around 4 months and can support approximately 30 participants.
Treehouse Theatre’s aim is two-fold. The primary aim is to help heal the resilient young refugees with whom they work with, who offer their life stories with open-hearted grace. They aim instill confidence and wellbeing to the participants who have endured such hardships. As they share their incredible personal experiences, they each realise they are not alone. As they confront their darkest memories, a powerful transformation begins. Secondly, Treehouse Theatre is passionate about giving “The Refugee Experience” a genuine and empathic face, and thereby educate the broader community on the importance of supporting and welcoming those who are new to Australia.
Shahla Bakhsh is 15. She was born in Pakistan, and was 6 years old when her father left for Australia. Shahla is an deep and incisive thinker with an excellent memory and a passion for knowledge. Her parents are self-educated and are now fluent Farsi readers and writers, and have contributed to this passion. They value education highly and encourage Shahla to take every opportunity that presents in Australia to build for herself a brilliant life.
