Grovedale optometry student Jasmine Bizhani rediscovered her childhood love of art at Bluebird Foundation after fleeing Iran with her family at age 12.
The 19-year-old remembered government officials questioning her mother and jailing her dad before her family migrated to Indonesia, where they spent four years in a camp waiting for Australian visas.
“My mum wanted to become a Christian but she couldn’t in Iran,” she said.
“You have to be Muslim, or basically you’re going to jail.”
As a child she had loved playing music and acting but was “limited” in that too under the Iranian regime, due to being a girl.
She feared she had lost her love of art in the years between, until she began painting with her mum during Victoria’s first lockdown.
Then a social worker connected her with art programs at Bluebird Foundation in South Geelong.
“After a while, I was like, ‘let’s give it a try,’ and I really loved it!” she said.
“I didn’t have any clue that I’m actually talented in this!”
In May, 2021, she and other participants expanded one of her works larger than life, pictured, after she showed the illustration to Bluebird resident artist Cam Plapp.
“He was like, ‘I reckon we should paint that on the garage door’,” she said.
“It was a time to chill, have fun and have some time off spray-painting.”
But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit Bluebird Foundation hard financially, and now the group is calling for donations for its Propeller Project, to help children and youths like Jasmine.
To donate: bluebirdfoundationinc.org.au
