The Zonta Club of Lebanon was pleased to host the 2017 Area 4 Zonta Says NO Advocacy Walk in Lebanon’s beautiful Memorial Park and plans to host the 2018 Advocacy Walk in Indianapolis in October.

The third annual walk was held in October and allowed clubs and concerned individuals to gather to advocate against domestic violence.  The walk was held in Memorial Park in Lebanon.  Zontians and Z-Club students from all over Area 4 were present to walk to raise awareness of the dangers of domestic violence.

A representative from the mayor’s office spoke and welcomed participants and then Pascal Fettig from Mental Health America Boone County spoke on things being done in Boone County to address violence against women.

After a brief warmup, the walkers carried signs and posters along a state highway and around the park.  Cars were honking their horns and people were waving encouragingly.

At the main corner of the park, the Zonta clubs from Indiana had their Zonta Says NO posters posted next to orange pinwheels.  Each pinwheel represents a life that was lost due to domestic violence.

The group advertises the walk at an event earlier in the fall. At the event,  Lebanon’s Lincoln and Civil War Reenactment, the club pairs with the Boone County Historial Society to sell food at the event.

This provides the members, as well as the Z Club students, an opportunity to fundraise and advertise their upcoming advocacy event.

The Zonta Club of the Fleurieu Peninsula Inc, District 23, created a digital display promoting the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. The Shine the Light project was a joint project between the Zonta Club of the Fleurieu Peninsula Inc and the local government of the city of Victor Harbor.

The façade of the local cinema which is in the main street of the city was illuminated with a digital art display that reflected ‘Zonta Says NO to Violence.’

The façade has been used by the city in the past to promote tourism and city council embraced the concept of supporting Zonta to further the cause.  Council staff and Zonta members workshopped with local digital artists to produce a dynamic and thought-provoking digital display.

The display shone during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and was seen by thousands of people.  The display ran on a loop from 25 November to 10 December, from sun down to sun up.

The digital display aimed to communicate the responsibility community members have to end the perpetuation of abuse toward women. It conveyed the message that boys need to be taught how to show respect toward women from a young age.

The digital artists were mindful that this was a public place open to all ages and were asked to use orange as a predominant color. White was also used to reflect White Ribbon.

Along with this display, the Zonta Club of the Fleurieu also provided bystander training, facilitated by the YWCA as part of their Rise Above the Pack program.

The Zonta Club of Nurmes organized a seminar on safety in everyday life as a part of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign.

The guest speaker of the seminar was the highest ranking police officer in Finland,  National Police Commissioner  Seppo Kolehmainen.

Other speakers talked about the importance of making concrete help available for victims, as well as holding authorities accountable.

The audience asked questions and at the end of the seminar, a local Gypsy king and 70-year-old, Seppo Palm, sang a song.