Zonta Noosa Advocacy: 2016 The Year That Was!

*Zonta Club of Noosa and Zonta Club of Maroochy (Sponsors):

Proudly supported and promoted : ‘The Sunshine Coast Star Weave Community’ at Noosa Civic, Noosaville on Wednesday, 5th October, 2016.

• Superintendent Darryl Johnson from Queensland Police Service launched the project and Maryann Talia Pau, founder of the One Million Stars to End Violence conducted a free star weave workshop.
• One Million Stars to End Violence is an international project that communities across the Sunshine Coast have embraced and in which hundreds of individuals have been actively involved.
• A Star Weave Community is a group of people in a town, suburb or organisation who each commit to weave 10,000 stars. The 1 million stars will be installed in a spectacular display at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 (GC2018)
• One Million Stars to End Violence Project: to view full details about this project, please visit their official website. Click here.

(L-R) Bernice Childs, Susie Blue (10000 Stars Project), Jan Comins (President of Zonta Noosa), Lynette Robertson (Zonta Noosa) and Margaret Mansfield (Zonta Maroochy).

*White Ribbon Day :

• The Zonta Club of Noosa actively attended and participated in the 2016 Sunshine Coast ‘White Ribbon Day’ that was held in the forecourt of the Sunshine Coast Council Chambers in Nambour.
• The Chair of the Sunshine Coast White Ribbon Committee, Superintendent Darryl Johnson spoke openly about the negative effect domestic violence has on the community stating that incidents on the Sunshine Coast had risen by 40% and accounted for 30% of police calls for service in any one week.
• Superintendent Johnson called upon the community to change their attitudes towards domestic violence by owning, embracing and driving change.
• Guest speaker for the event, Ms Rhodes, provided an emotional account of her experience with domestic violence stating, despite everything, she broke the cycle and is a survivor.
• Doctor Gregory Nash, lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast, provided an update on the “Make it Stop” symposium held in 2015 by presenting a research document authored by Doctor Gillian Russell.

“The real strength of the document was the idea that it was from real people on the Sunshine Coast talking about preventing domestic violence, about trying to educate people about domestic violence and about breaking the cycle,” Doctor Nash said.

Dr Nash formally handed the document to Superintendent Johnson who accepted it on behalf of the White Ribbon Committee. White Ribbon ambassadors were considered to have the best capacity to enact the actions in the document along with the motivation to achieve its aims and to get out into the community to make a real difference.

• This year, White Ribbon is acknowledging the fact that men’s violence against women is #AMansIssueToo.
• To view full details and photos from the event (Article and images courtesy: ‘Police Sunshine Coast. Nov 25th, 2016) : Please click here!

Sunshine Coast Community ‘Say No to Domestic Violence’. 

• Mayor Jamieson (White Ribbon Ambassador) pledged to be “at the forefront of the Sunshine Coast social movement to stop domestic violence in the community and support cultural change.”
• (Article and images courtesy of the Sunshine Coast Council): Please click here!

Official ‘White Ribbon website’: Please click here!

•  Zonta Noosa members signing the pledge “to stop domestic violence in the community and support cultural change”. 
• Zonta Noosa Display Board: Showcasing key Zonta Advocacy Projects and Programs

*Walking the Talk…The Zonta Club of Noosa held their walk on Sunday, 27th November ‘To Say No to Violence Against Women’.  

• Club and community members again actively participated in the 2016 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.

Police Inspector Jon Lewis of Noosa, Noosa councillor Ingrid Jackson, former councillor Sandy Bolton, and chairman of the board of the local branches of the Bendigo Community Bank Rick Cooper and members of the Zonta Club of Maroochy joined with the Zonta Club of Noosa to ‘Say NO to Violence Against Women’.

Thank you to all club and community members who supported our walk… And to the Men of our community who say NO to violence! Thank you!

                                      2016 Zonta Noosa Walk … Photo Gallery.

•  ‘Noosa Today’ article and images (Courtesy of “Noosa Today”. 29th Nov, 16): Please click here!

The 16 Days of Activism. Please view the information sheets that provide a comprehensive view:

• 16 Days of Activism – Day 1 – Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 2 – Forced/Arranged Marriage, Underage Marriages
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 3 – Honour Killings/Femicide
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 4 – Indigenous Women
• 16 Days of Activism-Day 5 – Rural Women
• 16 Days of Activism- Day 6 – Human Trafficking and Slavery
• 16 Days of Activism-Day 7 – Elder Abuse
• 16 Days of-Activism-Day 8 – Women with Disabilities
• 16-Days-of-Activism-Day-9 -Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Women (CALD)
• 16-Days-of-Activism-Day-10-Effects-of-Exposure-to-Domestic-Family-Violence-on-Children
• 16-Days-of-Activism-Day-11-Sexual-Assault
• 16-Days-of-Activism-Day-12-Health-Effects-of-Violence-Against-Women
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 13 – Pets in Crisis
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 14 – Intimate Partner Abuse
• 16 Days of Activism – Day 15 – Child Sexual Abuse
• 16 Days of Activism – Day16 – Respectful Relationships