National award for youth against family violence project

30 July 2020

A campaign against family violence conceived by Greater Dandenong youth has been recognised at the 2020 National Awards for Local Government.

The Youth United Against Family Violence project received the top award in the category Addressing Violence Against Women and Children. The project is now in the running for the 2020 National Award for Excellence in Local Government.

In 2019 ten youth ambassadors were selected to lead the project to change attitudes and behaviour towards family violence.

They chose three key messages and developed short video advertisements aimed at reaching their peers. The youth ambassadors guided the entire creative process with help from Momentum Studios Australia.

The videos included:

• That’s Control, Not Love highlighting coercive control (such as isolating and belittling behaviour) within intimate partner relationships

• Don’t Stand By, Stand Up emphasising bystander actions and encouraging viewers to stand up against family violence by calling the behaviour out

• Your Actions Impact Everyone shows that family violence affects everyone, and while young people aren’t always the victim of abuse they are often indirectly impacted.

Greater Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti said he was proud of the young people involved in the project.

“This is an important issue in our community and young people often feel like they are not part of the conversation,” Mayor Memeti said.

“Through this project these young people have been able to use their voices and reach out to their peers. I am sure these videos will make a difference for so many and not just within our own community.”

The advertisements were launched at last year’s Greater Dandenong Walk Against Family Violence.

Council’s Youth and Family Services will use the advertisements as part of education campaigns for local youth, but these plans were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Victoria into lockdown and the closure of local schools for the first time in March. The advertisements were instead used in a social media campaign that reached more than 200,000 people.

View the advertisements here.