Our Djirra August 19 | Djirra – Sharing stories finding solutions

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August 2019

Hi Djirra!

In June - July, Meriki and I provided a voice for Aboriginal women at the UN HRC 41st Session in Geneva. Through 5 interventions - some of them jointly with the Human Rights Law Centre - we made calls for critical change for our women and their children.
Please read the calls, make them yours and share them!

Djirra's NAIDOC Morning Tea on 23 July was a very special moment and I was honoured to reveal the names of our Djirra Keepers. A slideshow with their gorgeous portraits is below. For those who couldn't make it to the event, a video is available on the Z drive: Staff Essentials > Promotion > NAIDOC Morning Tea 2019.

The same day, I also announced a closer collaboration between Djirra and Dardi Munwurro. For those who are not yet familiar with their work, Dardi Munwurro provides group leadership training programs in Family Violence specifically tailored to Aboriginal men and youth. Dardi Munwurro was recently featured on Win News for their work in Shepparton. Djirra's Board Member and Dardi Munwurro's Director Alan Thorpe appears in the video.

Dardi Munwurro and Djirra have been working together and for many years and have now agreed to build a partnership to promote the message of 'women's business, men's business, everyone's business, our cultural way'. Stay tuned for more information about the partnership.

Enjoy your read and see you all soon,

Antoinette

Our Djirra Keepers

The words of the Keepers:

Marion Hansen: "If you get like-minded people together, anything can happen. Djirra is living proof of that."

Lisa Thorpe: "I want to say how proud I am to be part of a group of women that have been around for a long time. I’m proud to carry on the legacy of my mother and grandmother.
We should be talking about prevention and what we can do. Giving our children a voice and telling the truth so we can move forward."

Karen Bryant: "I’m very humbled and very honoured to be a part of this elite group."

Highlights

Djirra's NAIDOC Morning Tea was definitely a highlight of the past few weeks! See how our guests took the event beyond the walls of KWP to the Twittersphere! (click on the tweets to enlarge)

An exceptional gathering for Djirra's NAIDOC Morning Tea on Tuesday 23 July.

Antoinette whereabouts

30 / 31 July - Parliament House Canberra
With other members of the National FVPLS Forum seeking a commitment to ongoing support and funding for FVPLSs and the Forum Secretariat.

13 / 14 August - Darwin
National Indigenous Legal Conference 2019
Panel discussion on the future of ACCOs in the Law and Health sectors (13/08), and presentation on 'Sharing stories, finding solutions' (14/08).

Community Engagement updates

KWP is exhited to host a Possum Skin Cloak making project, running as a series of workshops in Northern-Metropolitan Melbourne. See below pictures of the first workshop held on the 1st of August at KWP.
The project will run to the 12th of September and will finish with a special event on World Elders Day 1st of October 2019.

Guided by Maree Clarke, a Mutti Mutti/Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung/Wemba Wemba woman with extensive experience in the cultural regeneration journey of Possum Skin Cloak making, participants will collaboratively create designs to illustrate their personal stories. Read more about Maree and her work here.

Women participating will have an opportunity to connect with one another and share their stories. As Elders, they will acquire and/or share knowledge of traditional techniques that they will be able to impart back to their communities, and in particular younger Aboriginal women connected with them.

Take a tour of the work that's currently being done at Abbotsford. Very soon, this room will be our new counselling room. Next time we'll share pics of the job done!

KWP August calendar is available here!

KWP has launched its Winter 2019 Blanket Appeal, spread the word!

AFVLS updates

On the 25^th of July Kehndra and Terri joined a panel at the Safer Families Intervention Order duty lawyer training run by Women Legal Service to speak about the particular challenges faced by our clients.
The feedback received was very positive, and a number of the training participants said they weren’t aware of the scope of AFVLS and Djirra’s work and that we were able to provide such a holistic service. Thanks to Kehndra and Terri for sharing their knowledge and getting the word out about the services Djirra can provide!

From the regional offices

Rebecca and Kate organised a very special NAIDOC week event at the Bendigo office: a Leaf Painting workshop with Auntie Annie. Have a look at the women's gorgeous creations!

Strategy updates

Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

The submission:
- shares what Djirra has learnt from many years of working on the ground at the frontline with Aboriginal women who experience family violence, including the intersecting systems and structural drivers that contribute to poor mental health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women;
- provides a deeper understanding of the complex and unique barriers that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face when seeking to access the mental health system; and
- highlights the critical role that Djirra plays in supporting Aboriginal women on their journey to social and emotional wellbeing through culturally safe access to early intervention and prevention and wraparound support.

Djirra's submission to Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System is available on Djirra's website.

Listen to Kate talking about the hearings in the video below.

Marketing and Comms updates

You probably already know Djirra's Facebook and Twittter accounts, right? But do you know that Djirra also has a LinkedIn account - HR Advisor - and a LinkedIn page - Djirra?

To share Djirra's news with your professional networks, you can connect with HR Advisor and follow Djirra's page.

Staff news

Aunty Frances Gallagher Exhibition

"Meet our Gunditjmara Queen, and great grandmother Frances Gallagher. At 93, she is living proof that you should never give up doing what you love. Her amazing collection of landscape paintings, showcasing memories of her life is on display in Bundoora in her first solo exhibition. You can learn more about Aunty Frances here."

Naya and Casey

Artwork: Campsite in springtime, 2010
Visit the website of the exhibition here.

Kelly shares with us a beautiful photo of the younger members of her extended family at the NAIDOC March :-)

St Kilda Solar System

"There's a not very well know gem in St Kilda, a full solar system at scale!! You can walk from one planet to another, starting from the Sun.
It's great for kids of all ages and adults who like to walk with a purpose!
Here is the link."
Carole