Zonta Club of Gladstone Inc conducts a successful 16 Days of Activism campaign

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The Zonta Club of Gladstone Inc, Australia, conducted another successful 16 Days of Activism during the 2023 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign by commencing at its orange November dinner meeting and culminating in an orange breakfast, which was attended by local state member of parliament, Glenn Butcher, and his wife, Theresa.

The club undertook some old and some new advocacy activities around town, including the following:

  • At their launch dinner, they welcomed two guest speakers from the Gladstone Police Station, Cath Purcell and Vicki Dredge. They also donated two laptops for police officers to use when taking statements from domestic violence victims at home. Feedback from the police was that “the donation provides a greater ability for officers to take a typed statement in the field, from the victim’s accommodation, and will be a great support in collecting immediate evidence.”  
  • The club distributed orange cut-out ladies for display at 31 local businesses, with some information about the campaign attached to each orange lady.
  • During the campaign, they asked large local businesses to make their night lights orange. Participating businesses included the Gladstone Regional Council (Art Gallery, Council Chambers and the Anzac Park tree) and the Gladstone Ports Corporation. The Gladstone Ports Corporation lit up multiple lights focused on a tree-lined strip around a park, reflecting off the water around the park.
  • The club joined the Raise a Cup campaign, which involved placing 500 stickers on coffee cups at four local coffee shops. The coffee shops were very eager to support this initiative.
  • They raised awareness about the number of women killed due to domestic violence in Australia in 2023 by placing ladies and a tally of deaths on fences in three high-traffic areas in town.
  • Two club members posted relevant posts and highlighted the club’s local efforts each day of the campaign, which gained significant attention from our social media followers.
  • The club prepared an up-to-date list of local area emergency telephone numbers on the back of toilet doors.

Zonta Club of Pori I says NO with a short film

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The Zonta Club of Pori I, Finland, organized a movie premiere for the film The Last Kick on the International Day of the Girl Child, 14 October, at the local racecourse auditorium. The club managed to book the venue free of charge with the help of their network. The event was specially organized for the young stars, the children and teenagers who acted in the movie, and their proud parents. Special guests included Theatre Ulpu’s chairperson, Maiju Junko, who co-wrote the screenplay, young screenplay writer Oskari Huhtanen and Glad Media representatives Anu and Tomi Glad. Zontians and Soroptimist clubs in Pori were also invited to the event.

The club received great support from several local sports clubs and teams, some participating in national-level competitions. The club requested their logos to be used in the final texts of the movie as a show of support for their cause. The logos would manifest their stance against physical and mental violence and their support for equal rights and compassion. To their surprise, all the teams and clubs contacted provided 100% support. Many were already running similar “anti-bullying” campaigns and revising their internal codes of conduct. Additionally, the project patrons, Mari Kaunistola and Petri Huru, who are members of the Finnish parliament, were invited to the event. The heads of the educational and cultural services of Pori and Ulvila and local media representatives were also in attendance.

The film, which you can watch here, sheds light on the importance of ending bullying, its lasting effects on victims and hope still exists in the world. The movie premiere also aimed to teach the importance of valuing others, showing compassion, and appreciating different personalities from diverse backgrounds. Such values can help increase equality in society, both on a micro and macro scale, and build a better world for women and girls.

The club’s initiative went beyond their expected goals. This project is a true testament to the fact that where there’s a will, there’s a way. It also shows that when you have like-minded and kind-hearted people in your network, anything is possible. Of course, commitment and persistence are key to creating and achieving something new and unique. The club challenges everyone to think outside the box and step beyond.

After the premiere, the club received numerous thank-you notes and messages of congratulations from those who attended. They also received several requests to distribute the material to schools outside the original distribution area of Pori and Ulvila.

The club plans to interview students and teachers from various schools to get their thoughts and opinions on the movie and its possible impacts while providing question card materials. It’s important to understand that the problem of bullying is not just local but global. The club hopes that the movie will serve as a tool to decrease bullying and teach compassion, thereby changing many people’s lives, especially those who have been bullied or involved in bullying. The club hopes the movie will start a positive chain reaction and spread as far as possible. As the movie is available in Swedish and English, the club hopes it will reach the countries of fellow Zontians worldwide through this award application.

Zonta Club of Brisbane River blows the whistle for domestic violence

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For the 2023 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women and 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaigns, the Zonta Club of Brisbane River Inc, Australia, shook things up by involving directly with the public, communicating with their community stakeholders, setting up a colorful presentation with a highly visible presence and maintaining a static display at the local Princess Alexandra Hospital to raise awareness of domestic violence. They also consistently posted domestic violence awareness posts on their Facebook every day. The campaign included key elements such as:

  • Setting up a mass display of 18 Orange Ladies in a public park on a busy street frontage for three weekends.
  • Handing out free orange whistles, which is a play on the campaign theme, Blow the Whistle on Domestic Violence.
  • Distributing domestic violence materials sourced from local domestic violence services and women’s shelters.
  • Having direct conversations with passersby seeking information about the issue.

The club accomplished its goal of advocating against violence against women by being willing to engage with the public on the streets of their local community and having conversations about the uncomfortable subject. This campaign helped them strengthen their pre-existing connections with local domestic violence services, their local councilor, and parliament member by involving them in the process through consultation and seeking their cooperation for permission to use their information resources and staging a presence in Bunyapa Park West End.

While it is difficult to gauge the club’s impact, club members reported many meaningful conversations and gratitude for the helpful domestic violence assistance resources and the showpiece for the practical use of bright orange whistles they handed out. 

Zonta Club of Caloundra City Inc RISEs to increase collaboration and address domestic violence

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In 2010, the Zonta Club of Caloundra City Inc, Australia, introduced its Restart in a Safe Environment (RISE) concept to increase community collaboration and education and address domestic violence issues. Since then, the club has enjoyed 13 successful years of persistence and building partnerships.

The club initiated a project in 2013 to build a duplex on donated land to address the lack of transitional housing options for women and children leaving situations of domestic abuse in the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. The club raised US$90,000 in 90 days in 2016. A successful and continuing partnership with the Coast to Bay and the Salvation Army achieved the opening of the first duplex in 2017. The ongoing success of this model has been demonstrated by the state government’s direct funding in 2021 under the Safe Places capital grants to establish eight additional units in the Sunshine Coast region. The club has been repeatedly recognized for taking the initiative to address this need. It is a testament to the resilience and persistence of members who continue to work tirelessly to advocate for women and children affected by domestic abuse.

District 20 says NO to digital harassment

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Realizing that digital harassment is a growing problem, especially for youths, District 20 partnered with Loisto setlementti, a youth organization, to organize events and fundraise for the cause.

Digital harassment is a significant form of violence to which girls and women are highly vulnerable. Therefore, the clubs find it very important to inform and give advice to families and others. Loisto setlementti has a 24/7 Service for discussion and support with children aged 8 to 18 on digital platforms.

Within six months, the clubs have had many events and webinars, where Zontians and the audience have gained awareness and information about digital harassment and have improved the effectiveness of their operations by strengthening cooperation networks. The clubs’ fundraising has successfully hired new resources for Loisto setlementti to be experts for clubs in combatting digital harassment. They also plan to arrange events in schools for parents to give information and discuss digital harassment, as well as service for girls, where they may discuss and ask for help.

The patron of the whole project is a parliament member and doctor of military services. He gave a speech about citizens’ information security skills, for example.

The project will end in March 2025. The clubs have at least 20-30 planned future events, half as virtual sessions with a large audience.

To learn more about the project, visit www.zonta.fi.

Zonta Clubs of Maryborough Inc says NO at the Trent Walters Memorial Burnouts

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Last year, the Trent Walters Memorial Burnouts occurred on 25 November, which also marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the first day of the 16 Days of Activism.

Zontian Nshara Kingston from the Zonta Club of Maryborough Inc, Australia, is friends with Joe, a Pro Burnout driver of a car called “Ferret,” which, as it turns out, is an orange ute, matching the color of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. She organized a ride in the car with a Zonta Says NO banner on the front of the burnout pad, an orange Zolly displayed at the bar with information on the cause and an interview with the event emcee over the loudspeakers.

The club also had a display at the car show alongside Ferret before the burnout competition. During the car show, Nshara volunteered on the Speedway Sausage Sizzle wearing her Zonta Says NO shirt. Several people asked what is Zonta? So, Nshara got to practice her elevator speech many times. Joe also felt very privileged to receive his own Zonta Says NO shirt to wear for the day. The real bonus of the day was that Joe and Ferret received second place in the Pro-Class.

The club always talks about Zonta becoming visible in their community, thinking outside the box and being diverse with new ideas. The exposure to a new crowd was the main goal of the day. They tend to focus on events primarily for women, so this was an opportunity to be at an event that is typically seen as an event for men, even though there is a female burnout class. The success of this goal was shown through getting new followers on Facebook, including men who race Speedway.

Nshara overheard people discussing what was displayed on the Zolly, including men and young girls, primarily about the statistics and how high they were. The Maryborough Speedway was very supportive of the cause, and they appreciated Nshara’s volunteer efforts. It has been mentioned that the club may be the charity of the Trent Walters Memorial if it occurs again in 2024. This means that all the funds raised during the event will be donated to the club, which is an excellent community connection.

Danish Zonta clubs engages with students about barriers to gender equality

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For the last few years, Zonta clubs in Denmark have developed a free platform, https://goalfive.org, with teaching modules available for all secondary school teachers. In 2023, the platform grew with more training modules. As a culmination of the work, the clubs arrange several day events on 22 November in connection with the 16 Days of Activism.

The participants were teachers and students of all genders from nine high schools: Aalborg Cathedral School, Risskov High School, Viborg Cathedral School, Aarhus High School, Tilst -EUX, Haderslev Cathedral School, Aabenraa State School, The Blue Highschool and Stenhus Highschool. The events were held in four cities: Aalborg Aarhus, Aabenraa and Holbæk. The Zonta clubs organizing the events were Aarhus I, Aarhus II, Aalborg, Aabenraa, Holbæk  and the new coming Golden Z Aarhus.

The clubs then hosted a whole-day “Barriers to Gender Equality?” event in high schools. The event was a study day focusing on equality issues with six overall themes: gender, working life, teaching, education, sexual consent, and boundaries and equality in the home. The clubs spent a day engaging with students and teachers about their thoughts, discussions and input on all gender equality issues.

Before the events, the clubs created a film with participation from the minister for digitalization and gender equality, influencers and representatives from women’s and men’s organizations: https://youtu.be/70U-_lv6lrI.

The events were very impactful as students, the new generation, took ownership of the process, participated actively in the debates and working groups and prepared visual material with their viewpoints about how a future based on gender equality should be. And all genders contributed to the successful outcome.

The link to Zonta’s mission and vision was evident throughout the event, as all contributed very actively to define what is needed to “build a better world for women and girls.” Advocacy has a growing focus for clubs in Denmark, and although the events took place in only four cities, they plan to repeat the event in many more cities in the future.

The events have made Zonta’s work better known in Denmark and increased the recognition of Zonta as a critical player working on gender equality and a life free of violence for all women and girls. The minister’s contribution, among others, is proof of this in the video created.

The products generated by the students have been displayed not only in the high schools but also at the local libraries. Therefore, the clubs are convinced that the events held will significantly impact the local communities as the students themselves define the path forward.

Zonta Club of Brisbane East Inc strengthens domestic and family violence services

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The Zonta Club of Brisbane East Inc, Australia, hosted a breakfast event during the 16 Days of Activism under the banner, “Paint the Bayside Orange.” Partnering with state and local members of Parliament, the breakfast brings together businesses, government officials, domestic and family violence service representatives and local community members across the bayside area of Brisbane.

Now in its 8th year, the breakfast initiative has progressed from an awareness and education campaign to providing tools for attendees to take action in saying NO to gender-based violence. Guests heard from the program manager of Small Steps for Hannah about their respectful relationships program that will be introduced in schools across Queensland in 2024.

The breakfast also provides an ongoing forum where key partners share their work and identify opportunities to work together in building support and services for survivors of domestic violence.

District 22 makes a difference to eliminate gender-based violence

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In a strategy to encourage all 44 clubs across Queensland and Northern New South Wales to engage with the 2023 Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign, District 22, Australia, appointed a campaign coordinator. Initially, all clubs each identified a key contact person so that they could share their ideas and identify opportunities for collaborative efforts.

A calendar of events was created and posted on the district website, providing clubs with year-round access to events and ideas. The benefits of having the calendar included:

  • All clubs actively took part in the campaign, sharing more social media posts and gaining publicity.
  • Public walks increased across the state with walks undertaken by the Zonta clubs of Bundaberg Inc, Redcliffe Inc, Toowoomba Inc and Northern Rivers Inc. The Zonta clubs in Townsville had a joint effort, as did the capital city walk, where Zonta clubs in Brisbane, bayside, coastal, and scenic rim joined together for an evening walk through the city. The Zonta Club of Beaudesert Inc partnered with the local police for an inaugural walk.
  • Affiliations and partnerships continued to grow. For instance, the Zonta clubs of Caboolture Inc and BundabergInc partnered with many sponsors for various activities. The Zonta Club of Brisbane North collaborated with Queensland Performing Arts, Brisbane Domestic Violence Services and Vulcana Circus to showcase the stories of women survivors.

Zonta clubs in Brisbane unite to say NO to gender-based violence

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Ten Zonta clubs in Brisbane, Australia, worked together to paint the city orange and unite with community members to say NO to gender-based violence during the 16 Days of Activism. In partnership with the Brisbane City Council, state government departments and businesses, the clubs:

  • Illuminated key buildings, cathedrals, sculptures, bridges and multi-story car parks across the city in orange.
  • Hanged large banners at the Story Bridge, sports grounds, and shopping centers.
  • Displayed masses of “Orange Ladies” with safety information for survivors of domestic and family violence in inner city parks, businesses, ferry terminals and libraries.
  • Lit a box in the city square to urge people to envision a world where no woman or girl shall live in fear for her life.

The clubs and friends gathered in the city square before city hall and took to the streets to raise awareness of the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women campaign. They wore orange shirts to match the orange buildings, sculptures and bridges. In the following week, Zontians took to social media to post statistical and general information about the campaign and domestic and family violence.