The diverse voices of Canberra’s women will be heard as part of the Canberra Women’s March on Sunday 20 January 10am-1pm.
Described as “a show of love and power, and a protest demanding the protection of women’s rights, women’s safety and women’s health” the event will be held at Garema Place in the City.
Saba Awan, member of the Canberra Women’s March organising committee, said the event is about harnessing power to “create a culture of change”.
“The fight for equality and safety is ongoing,” Ms Awan said. “We know that violence against women is not going anywhere.”
Locally, she said they are pushing to change the definition of consent under ACT legislation so that an alleged perpetrator “has to prove they received enthusiastic consent rather than putting the onus on the survivors”. The event is also an opportunity to broaden people’s perspectives.
“We may not understand the struggle and challenges women of non-mainstream identities face,” she said. “There’s a perception that everybody has access to equality of services in Canberra.”
The event, which is sponsored by Canberra Women in Business, will feature a number of speakers including: Serena Williams, manager of the Mulleun Mura Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Access to Justice Program at the ACT Women’s Legal Centre; Edith Muruka, CEO/founder of Moments of Experiencing Life Together; Clare Moore, CEO of Women With Disabilities ACT; Dhani Gilbert, 2018 Young Canberra Citizen of the Year and 2018 ACT NAIDOC Youth; and Mirjana Wilson, CEO of the ACT Domestic Violence Crisis Service.
The speakers are being encouraged to voice an action on the day that they would like to see people present undertake. “Essentially it will be a day for people to be inspired and be reinvigorated,” Ms Awan said.
For more information, find Women’s March Canberra on Facebook (@womensmarchcanberra)
A change of headspace
Late last year, headspace Canberra relocated from Bruce to Braddon. With the move comes the added benefits of being in a centrally located space that’s better equipped and designed to meet the growing demand for their services.
Peter Rohr, Marathon Health’s Group Manager of headspace Services, says the new building has been designed through ongoing engagement with the headspace Canberra team and the Youth Reference Group.
“The needs of Canberra’s young people have really been at the forefront of the design, and we are excited to create a space specifically tailored to their suggestions and needs,” said Mr Rohr.
A range of services are provided through the Canberra headspace Centre that are funded through a number of channels.
These include low intensity psychological services provided by coaches, psychological services provided by mental health professionals, sexual health services and drug and alcohol services.
As they are now established in Braddon, GP services have been made available for young people to access for their physical and mental health needs.
The new headspace Canberra office is located at the Cooyong Centre, 1 Torrens Street, Braddon.
Visit headspace.com.au for more information.
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