There is another story.
Peel Schools Say Not to Violence is a way for Peel schools to stand together against family and domestic violence with a gold coin free dress day in November. It’s about raising awareness of the issue and helping kids to understand healthy, respectful relationships.
Peel Schools Say No to Violence was started by Mandurah Primary School as an evolution of their pledge as a Peel Says No to Violence Alliance member.
Peel Says No to Violence is a community project building an Alliance of organisations and individuals who make pledges to raise awareness and understanding of family and domestic violence (FDV) through activities that can help to prevent it and support survivors.
When families are experiencing domestic and family violence, there are usually compounding issues such as financial hardship, mental health factors, drug and alcohol abuse and relocation of the home, displacement or temporary accommodation. The combination of these factors can mean that kids don’t make it to school and that if they do, school can be an additional source of anxiety in an already stressful situation if they feel they don’t fit in.
Mandurah Primary School pledged to help make sure kids who are experiencing family & domestic violence can still come to school by providing school bags, uniforms & basic supplies. The idea then spread to other schools wanting to show their support as well as increasing awareness of the issue within their own school communities. And so Peel Schools Say No to Violence was born.
This year, 15 schools in the Peel region participated in a free dress day to raise awareness about family and domestic violence with their gold coin donations amounting to thousands of dollars for the cause. This money will go towards extending the program and providing uniforms, bags and basic supplies to kids experiencing the effects of FDV.
Peel Schools Say No to Violence was a great success for its very first year and this was celebrated with a cheque presentation to Alliance members. Our hope is that next year, every school in the Peel region will get involved and that the program continues to grow in educating kids and their families about healthy, respectful relationships.
Family and domestic violence isn’t something that only happens to “other people” – it’s something that can affect all of us in many different ways and changing that is something we all have a role to play in.
Mandurah Primary School is committed to finding ways to improve understanding and attitudes towards family and domestic violence, leading the way for other schools to step up and join the movement and, most of all, having a positive impact on the lives of children affected by this issue. Their efforts embody the vision of the project and we look forward to watching the ripple effect as they continue to make telling a different story about family and domestic violence in the Peel a priority.
For more information as well as resources for kids, go to; http://peelsaysnotoviolence.org.au/useful_links/
The Peel Says No To Violence (PSNTV) project aims to better understand the prevalence of family violence in the region, identify how our community can better support those who experience it, raise awareness of services and support available, and create a movement of people in the wider community to actively support the Peel Says No To Violence message. The Alliance aims facilitate that message, understanding, movement and prevention of FDV through the pledges of its Alliance members.