You’ve Let Yourself Go 

Ageism is a national sport in this country, and women cop a double whammy of misogyny on top of this. But imagine a world where older women are celebrated for exactly who they are, instead of being on the receiving end of gendered ageist slurs? We could say good-bye to ‘shrew’ and say hello to ‘shrewd’.  

Silver Threads and Golden Needles (STGN) is a crafting program for older women where we work together to challenge the language and turn it around to something more positive, and over the six weeks, we craft cushions that feature both the negative and positive expressions and create portraits of the women, which are showcased in our photographic launch.  

Ageism is a driver of elder abuse, with one in eight Australians experiencing it every year, and older women are often lifelong victims of family violence, and represent about a quarter of the family violence homicides. Yet, older women are often invisible in family violence campaigning and prevention.   

STGN is a behaviour change program for the women in the program, those attending the launch, and for the broader community. There’s an ‘aha’ moment for everyone. It’s simple, effective and impactful, and will work in any community. The funding opportunity will drive community change by putting gendered ageism front and centre in community, and meet WHO best practice guidelines about conversation being the key to changing attitude.  

Check out the website to see the portraits, which will be essential in building a wealth of women captured saying No.  

 

Want to know more? 

Visit silverthreadsandgoldenneedles.org 
You can also contact us at info@silverthreadsandgoldenneedles.org  

View the video pitch here.

View the PDF pitch deck here.

La Sobremesa: Play fair, live equal: board games for gender equality and healthy relationships 

Imagine a world where we can tackle tough topics like gender equality, healthy relationships, and consent—and actually have fun doing it! In a time when conservative and right-wing ideas are gaining traction, pushing us further away from equality and safety, La Sobremesa offers a refreshing, bold solution.  

La Sobremesa is an innovative, award-winning initiative that uses the power of play to spark meaningful change. Through different board games (Uneven, Who is Who and What it is) and a comic book (Olivia: the adventures of understanding love), we open up the conversation on these critical issues in a way that’s safe, engaging, and most importantly, fun! 

So far, more than 400 people from over 50 countries have played our games, and the results speak for themselves. Around 90% of participants have increased their understanding and knowledge about the impacts of gender inequality, rigid gender stereotypes and healthy relationships; and their confidence to act for a more equal and safe society.  

Our approach isn’t just educational—it’s transformative. Participants don’t just hear about gender inequality, unhealthy relationships, and consent—they experience them in the context of the games, making the lessons hit home in a way that’s impactful and real. 

With La Sobremesa, players leave behind their armor and navigate life’s twists and turns, confronting challenges like invisible privilege, assumptions based on appearance, and the reality of consent in different settings. It’s a truly immersive experience that opens eyes and hearts. 

Now, we’re inviting you to join the movement! Our Social Change Partners Program gives your organisation the exclusive opportunity to bring La Sobremesa to your community. You’ll get access to our variety of board games and comic book, tailored staff training, and be part of a network of passionate organisations driving real change. Together, we can create a world where equality and safety are the norm.  

 

Let’s make a lasting impact—one game at a time! 

Want to know more about this? Click here.
Contact us at latinstoriesaustralia@gmail.com  

How and why do we engage families in the early years on the topic of gender equality? And is it too early? We get asked this question a lot. Have we forgotten about the children in our prevention focus? 

What we know is that research confirms that children start understanding gender during their toddler and preschool years with their parents and carers being the most powerful influences in a child’s life.  

ALL come out to play? Well, it’s a unique, innovative evidence-based prevention initiative delivered in early childhood settings across Victoria. Our live music show and interactive story book uses a strong narrative, incorporating music, a little humour, movement, focus, and intentional imagery, role modelling, and discussion prompts to spark conversations about respectful relationships. 

On the surface, what may appear to be a simplistic, jovial interactive show for families to enjoy together, lies a project that is in fact steeped in current research with an important mission in wanting to help prevent gender-based violence. 

Over the life of the project, since 2017, we’ve been able to create a suite of supporting resources and engage young audiences and provide parents and early childhood professionals with the tools to extend and embed gender equality within their practice and parenting.  

Evaluation of the project showed that 97% of respondents agreed that training enhanced their knowledge of the drivers of family and domestic violence, and nearly all of the parents enjoyed the music and activities just as much as their children, but more importantly many learned something new. They thought about how they parent their own children, and that they may do things differently in the future. The project creates and embeds the behaviour change needed to prevent domestic and family violence. We know what we do works and we want to do more.  

This project is unique with a strong evidence base. Our funding ceases in June this year,  Lets partner to make sure we don’t forget about the children within our prevention work. Click here for a short snippet of one of the songs from the show – “I love being me!”

Imagine a world where every student in every high school in Australia has compassion, empathy and a sense of social justice? Imagine if, on top of that, they also had the skills to identify opportunities to create collective solutions to issues in their communities and a fierce determination to act in solidarity with their fellow students when they saw harm and injustice?

It sometimes feels like the rise of the right, and literal fascism, in our homes, schools and communities is overwhelming. Our teenagers report that Trump and his cronies, along with online anonymity, are emboldening bullies and hate speech.

But what if we had a national intersectional program, supported by disparate organisations with expertise in gender equity, migrant experiences, first people’s justice, racial justice, queer liberation, trans justice, disability justice — collectively empowering young people to understand how systems and structures pit them against each other — and that it doesn’t have to be this way. What if this program folded respectful relationships, self-esteem, an understanding of how cultural norms influence our thinking, an analysis of the stakeholders and who has power with practical campaign tools to create a community intervention, leaving participants empowered, encouraged and hopeful?

The intertwine FUSE program does just that. FUSE stands for Finding Unity in Shared Experience — our pilot last year had incredible results, with young people with disabilities connecting with the experiences of young trans teens and young people of colour. Now, we’re looking for partners to take this program into high schools across the country.

Who’s in?

Project Sitara: Capacity Building of PVAW Community Champions 

Community leaders, especially women, are often the first confidants of gender-based violence survivors. They witness the subtle signs—a husband’s shaming words in a grocery store, a hidden bruise, or a tearful confession. Yet, while migrant women often turn to these trusted leaders for support, these leaders themselves lack the tools, frameworks, and system support needed to truly help. 

Project Sitara fills this gap by building the capacity of community leaders, creating an “army” of prevention champions. Through culturally sensitive, in-language training, we equip leaders with the knowledge and tools to support survivors and advocate for change. Our approach leverages the influence of elder women—the keepers of cultural wisdom—while integrating mainstream pop culture, such as film, TV, and influencer content, to make complex ideas accessible. 

Grounded in the Change the Story framework, Project Sitara uniquely blends prevention and response, empowering leaders to challenge gender roles, champion equity, and provide culturally safe referral pathways. 

Our pilot program, delivered to older Punjabi Indian women, showcased its transformative potential: 

“Violence is a choice, driven by gender inequality.” 

“We will no longer remain silent.” 

 

Despite potential resistance, we are prepared to demonstrate how Project Sitara strengthens existing systems, fosters partnerships, and addresses hidden needs. With 22 trained leaders and readiness to scale, we invite you to join us in expanding a multilingual network of Community PVAW Champions, fostering culturally safe, resilient communities and a future free from family violence. 

 

Contact

Shweta Kawatra​​​​ Dakin, shwetad@genwest.org.au
Shikha Makkar, shikha@genwest.org.au

View the video pitch here.

 

Contact

Email Laura: LCrozier@YACVic.org.au

Visit the webpage: Youth Affairs Council Victoria | Yeah, Nah: Affirmative consent education

Pleasure and Consent for Women and Gender Diverse People with Disabilities.

What if one of the ways we could help to end violence and improve health outcomes was to support people to feel good?  

Women and gender-diverse people with disabilities face significant barriers to sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) and higher rates of sexual and intimate partner violence.  

Biases framing us as asexual or uninterested in sex exclude us from crucial conversations about our sexual rights and wellbeing. These biases are most repeated by healthcare professionals, and within the Violence prevention sector. 

So, WDV is developing a suite of resources to support these conversations. These include an evidence paper, videos, conversation cards, and a teaching guide aimed at SRH and prevention practitioners to build their confidence and challenge these barriers at a systems level. 

Integrating accessible and inclusive discussions about pleasure into violence prevention and SRH initiatives can disrupt harmful narratives that frame women and gender-diverse people with disabilities as passive, asexual, or lacking the necessary agency to lead safe, consensual, and pleasurable sexual lives. Existing peer-led initiatives and public awareness campaigns are effective in shifting attitudes and promoting sexual agency. Research also suggests that pleasure-focused approaches to SRH can enhance peoples’ understanding of their bodies, improve communication in relationships, and foster healthier sexual behaviours. 

Right now, most sexual health or consent programs for people with disabilities, focus on risk and harm reduction for individuals. Our pleasure-based approach to sexual health recognises that sexual rights encompass not only safety but also joy, empowerment, and pride.  

Many practitioners may be uncomfortable discussing their own pleasure, let alone the sexual pleasure of others. But a pleasure-based approach can improve consent practices and strengthen autonomy. Because we centre lived experience across all resources, we also directly challenge the myths and barriers that prompt resistance that practitioners feel. 

To scale this project, we need investment. We aim to collaborate and share our learnings with SRH services, primary prevention practitioners, disability organisations, policymakers, and the community. We want you to advocate with us. 

Recognising pleasure as a vital aspect of consent shifts the conversation from merely preventing harm to fostering sexual well-being and agency.  

Sex can be fun, cool, enjoyable, messy. If we are not having these conversations with everyone, they can be used against us, leading to violence and poor health outcomes, reinforcing shame and stigma.  

Let’s get into actively talking about pleasure and consent with women and gender diverse people with disabilities in health and violence prevention.