Community Action
The chance of change relies on community power
The White Ribbon Australia Community Action Group initiative empowers like-minded people to start changing the way their community engages with violence against women. They can be geographically based, or built around faith, cultural, sporting, workplace or any kind of community. Using an evidence-based framework and grassroots approach, they address the underlying reasons it’s happening in the first place.
It’s about reframing the narrative from seeing it as an individual’s problem to deal with to a community’s issue that can be faced together.
The Community Action Group project has officially launched
What does this mean? It means the pilot is well underway, with groups now getting set up and ready to take direct action in 10 locations across the country. Their initial focus will be hiring 5 Primary Prevention Officers, who will help in the creation and operation of this first-of-it’s-kind project.
Our partnership with ANROWS
WRA has partnered with Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS). Over the life of the Project, ANROWS will use a Action Research methodology to evaluate the Community Action Group Model and the impact each individual Community Action Group has achieved.
As part of this partnership, ANROWS is running a Community of Practice which the Co-Convenors of the Community Action Groups will be welcomed into. Information from the evaluation will be share with Community Action Groups and their community.
There are many ways groups can take action
The project uses a primary prevention model to bring about community changes in a number of ways. They have several key aims:
Promote gender equality by engaging men and boys in addressing violence against women
Support and amplify the voice of existing prevention activities
Connect with local stakeholders to develop a whole-of-community response
Advocate to address community needs
Host events that raise awareness and funding for community responses
Activity looks different across each group and is decided based on community needs.
Some effective examples are:
Healthy relationship programs
Workplace programs which actively promote gender equality
Healthy masculinities programs in Sporting Clubs
Advocacy work
Awareness campaigns that challenge gender stereotypes
Our staff will help with setting up a White Ribbon Australia Community Action Group but it first starts with you identifying the people and organisations in your community who would like to embark on a 12 – 18 month journey of valuable activism.
To get started, submit an expression of interest below.
Be the voice for change in your community.
To find out how to start your own group, fill out the form below.
