White Ribbon Australia has chosen Inverell to implement a new, two-year youth engagement project for young men between the ages of 15 to 24.
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White Ribbon started engaging with local stakeholders after receiving funding through the NSW Domestic and Family Violence Innovation Fund.
Youth innovation officer Hikari So said the project was centred around building the confidence of young men in Inverell, as well as their knowledge, and desire to be active agents of social change- in their own right.
The project will highlight the capacity for young men to be leaders.
“We encourage them to use their voice as a platform and understand everyone has a role to play in violence against woman, particularly young people, because they are the next generation.
“We are hoping to engage participants over a number of months through iterative learning. We are in the phase of a co-design talking to young groups of men here in Inverell to understand, from them, what it is that makes a project interesting and engaging,” she said.
Participant registration will launch in February, however between now and then, White Ribbon will tweak content to ensure it is engaging and interesting in a way participants had envisaged.
Inverell was specifically chosen for the project due to the “great foundations” already laid as the first White Ribbon Community in Australia.
“We have strong engagement in Inverell in terms of White Ribbon ambassadors, schools and work place accreditation with Inverell Shire Council,” she said.
The Inverell Community Violence Prevention Team has been engaged to be part of the project, along with other local organisations, to ensure it is locally owned and driven once launched.
Hikari said monitoring and evaluation was also a key part of the project. Information gathered will be shared with the sector for any organisations working with young people.
“And any of the materials we develop through the project will be available for other organisations as well,” she said.
With consultations underway, young men interested in registering or want more information can email youth@whiteribbon.org.au or call 9045 8420.
At the end of the project a community action plan will be developed and launched in Inverell.
