Leading Change Lunch Ballarat - we invite leaders to attend this event in Ballarat on 28 August. The focus will be looking at the private sector and how they can take action to end violence against women, though will be relevant to all organisations wanting to know more about the issue, and where to begin in terms of being part of the solution. These events have been really popular in the past so please promote to businesses you are connected with and register your staff early.

CoRE snapshot - Thanks to 62 organisations who who participated in our annual snapshot. We are currently compiling the results and will let you know the key findings over the next couple of months. We will look to continue to improve the support we provide, based on your feedback.

It is pleasing to see the growth of CoRE membership in the sport and recreation setting continue – with clubs throughout the Grampians region actively promoting gender equality. We now have 13 clubs and associations who are CoRE signatories and would like to congratulate the following clubs on their involvement:

Act@Work is ramping up – two new workplaces will commence the program in the next few months. We congratulate Child and Family Services (Ballarat) on supporting this prevention work in our region. This is a fantastic show of leadership and we look forward to supporting CAFS to foster an environment of inclusion and diversity.
 
City of Ballarat Gender Equity Strategy Launch – City of Ballarat having recently finished their Act@Work program have been highly engaged in a process of culture change, identifying internal and external avenues where gender equity can be promoted. Their new Gender Equity Plan has been informed by staff across the organisation, with a high degree of ownership from all areas of Council. We look forward to celebrating City of Ballarat's achievements at the launch of this plan on 22 August.

Central Highlands CoRE Community of Practice – wonderful to see CoRE members attend the recent Community of Practice in Ballarat on 15 August. These sessions are a great way for members to learn what prevention initiatives other workplaces, clubs or networks have undertaken and we appreciate the sharing and interaction among this group. We explored how to use our newest resource, the Gender Lens Checklist, as a tool that can inform program planning, implementation and evaluation. The next Community of Practice will be held in October 2018.

Hepburn White Ribbon Matches - Hepburn White Ribbon Committee with support from Hepburn Shire Council and Hepburn Health Services partnered with Daylesford, Trentham and Newlyn Football Netball Club’s to host White Ribbon Matches. This initiative aimed to raise public awareness of violence against women, challenge men to speak out, think about their own beliefs, languages and actions, and enlighten young people, especially young men and boys, in regards to the issue. Hepburn White Ribbon ambassadors made formal acknowledgements to senior playing groups and supporters prior to the commencement of senior football and netball matches, highlighting the importance of the initiative within the local Hepburn community. Players and supporters also had the opportunity to purchase White Ribbon merchandise, and to obtain key White Ribbon and Hepburn Health Services educational and referral resources.

For more information or support in this region, please contact Dee Micevski at dee@whg.org.au or 5322 4100.

Grampians Pyrenees CoRE Community of Practice - held in Ararat in July, CoRE organisations from the region came together to share ideas and talk about actions within their organisations. Thank you to Pyrenees Shire Council for sharing their Act@Work journey and the actions they are undertaking. The CoP also included information about the new Gender Lens Checklist and featured a new CoRE Taking Action Video. The next Community of Practice will be held in October 2018.

Grampians Pyrenees Leading Change Dinner - Grampians Pyrenees was ‘leading change’ in June with a dinner event featuring keynote speaker Rosie Batty. Over 190 people braved the cold night to hear Rosie talk about violence against women and how we can all take action to prevent violence. Rosie was joined by local family violence advocate Danielle Jenkins, Tim Cartwright, Family Violence Implementation Reform Monitor, Kashif Bouns, Western Bulldogs and Stephen Rodis from AME Systems who all spoke about the importance of leadership in improving gender equality and preventing violence against women. Videos of our key speakers can be found on the WHG facebook page.

            

For more information or support in this region, please contact Kate Diamond-Keith at kate@whg.org.au or 5322 4100.

Wimmera CoRE Community of Practice in July focused on how our Genders Lens Checklist can be applied to programs, running through case studies on two very different programs: a strength training program for older adults and a bushfire recovery program. Thanks to Jo Martin from Rural Northwest Health who outlined some of the initiatives they have undertaken two years on from their involvement in the Act@Work program; and also the work happening in hospitals as part of the Strengthening Hospitals Response to Family Violence. Our hope is that hosting CoP’s locally will make them more accessible and reduce travel for organisations across the region. Our next Community of Practice will be held in late October. 

CoRE Members - we welcome Minyip Murtoa Football Netball Club, Harrow Tennis Club and the Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly (WRSA) as new members. Fantastic to see sporting organisations in the Wimmera coming on board and taking action to create a safe, equal and respectful society for everyone. WRSA invited us to present to its Regional Administrators Network, a great opportunity to raise awareness of the CoRE Alliance to sporting organisations across the region. It's fantastic to see two of our CoRE members, WRSA and Centre for Participation, working together to support the Women in Sport Good Governance program which helps women feel more confident to step into leadership roles in the sporting field. Harrow Tennis Club are part of a project with West Wimmera Shire and other clubs to apply for funding to improve female friendly facilities at the Harrow and District Recreation Reserve.

Minyip Murtoa Football Netball Club on joining Core……
Burras President Scott Arnold said “the idea was put to our Board by one of our Directors who was made aware of CoRE through their workplace. It was an easy decision for us really. It aligns very strongly with our Strategic Plan particularly our Club Mission regarding being 'a fully inclusive club' and our community focus area to 'provide a family fun environment'. It also aligns with our Values and Behaviors including caring for and including each other and respect.”
Over the next 12 months the Burras plan to work with its members to develop a series of actions that demonstrate its commitment to CoRE including breaking down stereotypes, building equity in facilities and services and developing appropriate policies and procedures.
“We have done a lot of work recently on our club strategic planning” Mr Arnold said. We know what’s important to us as a club and what we stand for. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive and family friendly club with respect at our core. We believe these values make us a club of choice for everyone. Becoming part of CoRE and delivering club actions to help meet its vision will help us engrain our values even further.” Read the full story in the Wimmera Mail Times

For more information or support in this region, please contact Melissa Morris melissa@whg.org.au or 5382 5607.

• Retained products and 2nd dosing of MS 2 Step
• Telehealth models for medical termination of pregnancy (MToP)
• Sharing of relevant resources