16 Days in 2021: events in the west

Time: 10am – 4pm

(Due to current COVID restrictions and restrictions on numbers attending outdoor events, please select a time slot that you would like to attend. You do not need to stay for the whole 2 hours but attend during the time slot you have chosen.)

Location: Victoria University Footscray Park Campus. Building M, overlooking the courtyard between Buildings M and P, at VU’s Footscray Park campus. Click here to find the building on Google maps.

Cost: Free

Registration link.

Be part of an exciting art happening – the painting of a large mural on the external wall of Building M, overlooking the courtyard between Buildings M and P, at VU’s Footscray Park campus.

The mural painting will be facilitated by Gisela and Bec from the Permesso Collective – the art team who helped VU students create the ‘I Am Stronger than Fear’ mural at the Ballarat Road entrance to Building C.

Add some of yourself to this huge, long lasting message of RESPECT at VU. Our support team will help you identify what you want to paint and where to place it. You can come any time between 10.00 AM and 4.00 PM.

By registering for this event you agree to abide by the latest Victoria University and Victorian State Government COVID restrictions and requirements when on campus.

Time: 5pm – 6pm

Location: online event.

Cost: Free

Registration link

In this special edition of Girl Chat, young people are invited to join us for an open discussion led by Akuch Kuol Anyieth, author of ‘South Sudanese Manhood and Family Crisis in the Diaspora’, where we’ll be exploring and deconstructing cultural beliefs and attitudes towards gender-based violence. Join us to hear from other young people about their stories and share your own experiences in a safe and inclusive space. All young people welcome.   

Time: 7.00pm-8.30pm 

Location: Online event.

Cost: Free

Registration link

As parents, it’s wonderful to be able to empower your children to be who they want to be and form their own ideas of the world. Children are influenced by their parents and guardians, and it can be hard to understand the impact some of our actions can have on them. Nelly Thomas, comedian and author of Some Girls, Some Boys, Some Mums and more will be joining us to chat about the impact parents have with influencing their children through role modelling behaviour, gender stereotyping and how to remove some of the barriers to start positive and open conversations. This event is a ‘Read, Sing, Chat’ initiative

Film will be posted on the following social media sites

www.facebook.com/awafn2020/
www.facebook.com/fcavic
www.facebook.com/MiCareLimited

Presented by African Women and Families Network, Burundian Cultural Ladies, Fijian Community Association of Victoria, MiCare and South East Somali Women’s Group

Together we can, together we rise – conversations on respect. Film will be posted on the following social media sites

Time: 2pm – 3pm 

Location: Online event

Cost: Free

Registration Link

The Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University, Professor Adam Shoemaker, invites you to his Annual Leadership Event during the global 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender-Based Violence campaign.

The Vice-Chancellor will host a conversation between Kate Phillips, Interim CEO, Women’s Health West [soon to be known as GenWest] and Marian Cronin, VU’s Associate Director of Inclusion and Engagement and incoming Chair of the regional partnership Preventing Violence Together.

GenWest champions gender equity, passionately serving the people of Melbourne’s west, and working towards a future free from violence and oppression, where everyone can live safe and healthy lives. VU’s participation in the Preventing Violence Together partnership is an important focus of our commitment to prevent gender-based violence within and beyond the University.

Russell Vickery will then speak about his own experience of violence in a same-gender relationship, the barriers he faced accessing family violence services, and how his advocacy now seeks to recognise that the rigid gender norms which drive men’s violence against women also contribute to normalising violence and abuse towards LGBTIQ people in our society. Russell is the LGBTIQ representative on the Victorian Government’s Victim Survivors Advisory Council.

The Vice-Chancellor and the President of the Victoria University Student Union, Kate Benesovsky, will then launch the newly completed RESPECT mural – a collaboratively painted community artwork that demonstrates VU’s commitment to equality and progressive inclusivity, for all members of our diverse community.

Melton City Council Event: Respectful Relationships & COVID Connections       

Time: 7.30pm – 9pm 

Location: Online event

Cost: Free

Registration Link

Melton City Council in partnership with Victoria University is proud to support the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence campaign this year, with a webinar that teaches you about respectful relationships and how to build strong connections coming out of Covid. This session will be run as a webinar format, and attendance is anonymous. Feel free to submit any questions you’d like answered or any experiences you’d like to share anonymously, by emailing them through to mld@meltonlearning.com.au prior to the session, alternatively you are welcome to ask questions during the Q & A time during the session. 

Please note: Questions relating to the easing of restrictions or vaccinations will not be addressed during this session. For any queries regarding restrictions and vaccinations please contact the Victorian Department of Health. 

Sunday 28 November

Micare Event: Together with Men – Respect and allyship : how men are working alongside women to build health, happy relationships

Time: 10am – 11am

Location: Online event

Cost: Free

Registration link

Akuol Garang is a young Sudanese-Australian woman living in Melbourne, working in human rights law and advocating for her community, multiculturalism and for people seeking asylum in Australia. Akuol’s story is about hope and resilience, showing that, regardless of what life throws at you, there is always light at the end of the tunnel and when given a second chance in life, everything is possible. Given a chance second chance in life, Akuol now wants to give back to the community that once gave back to her. In this online session, Akuol will discuss the rights that the Australian migrant community has whilst addressing the hardship that many are still facing in their own homes. Akuol will be our special guest speaker at our online English Convo Class, though all are welcome to join.

Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm 

Location: Online event

Cost: Free

To register for this online session, please email your name and session title (Family Violence: Navigating the Legal System) to registration@comm-unityplus.org.au.

Once we have received your email, we will provide you with the Zoom access link, along with a reminder email, a few days before the session.

Brimbank Melton Community Legal Centre (BMCLC) is the legal program of Comm Unity Plus Services Ltd. BMCLC provides free legal services to disadvantaged communities across the Melton; Bacchus Marsh and Brimbank regions. They prioritise assistance and casework for victim-survivors of family violence, and commonly assist in intervention order matters. BMCLC also practice in other areas of law, including: Family Law, Infringements, Debt, Tenancy and Criminal Law. You are invited to attend a legal information session on where you can go for help if you are experiencing (or are at risk of) family violence; how to apply for an Intervention Order; what happens at Court and legal representation.  

Time: 7.30pm – 9pm

Location: Online event – Zoom

Cost: Free

You don’t need to register. You can join the event directly with this link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81825447760