Family violence can take place in any home or community. It happens in rural and urban areas, within all age, religious and ethnic groups, and across the whole socio-economic landscape. There is always a wider narrative and context around those experiencing violence.
The family violence ecosystem, maps the areas where this wider context of harm (current, ongoing, structural, systemic, historical) is accounted for. Within this ecosystem- we too can see the places where those experiencing violence can find connection, strength, and resource. We believe that to END family violence in Whanganui we need a collective weaving of people and actions to build, heal, vision, and transform the legacy of family violence in our community.
As a community we can take small positive actions to DISRUPT violence & build safe, resilient, and healthy family/whānau relationships together. Often what stops this from happening, is that people don’t know how to help: what to say, what they can offer, and where to go to get support. This includes those who use violence and want to make changes for themselves and their whānau. Shame and stigma around family violence add extra stress to these attempts at finding or offering connection, support, and resource.
The goal of this website is to begin to educate, connect and strengthen our wider community on how to notice and respond to family violence, providing resources on how we can all start to take small actions and where we can get help for ourselves, our whanau and others experiencing violence in our community.
Healthy and safe communities support people to have healthy and safe physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual relationships with themselves, their families and each other.
Take positive actions to scaffold and resource the victim/survivors to help them rebuild their inner grounding and resource their healing journey, this could look like: providing them somewhere safe to stay, supporting them financially, looking after their pets, providing a safe space for their kids. Follow their lead.
Take positive actions to connect with, listen and encourage the victim/survivors – let them tell their stories and believe what they say. Be a safe space for them to reconnect to their inner voice and express what needs to be healed. Follow their lead.
Take positive actions to research and provide resources for the victim/survivors (and their whanau)- support them with information, connect them to agencies, and help them make a safety plan. Show them a map, give them space to take a breath, and reconnect to their agency, self-determination, and vision for their future. Walk alongside them as they make their own choices. Follow their lead.
Take positive actions to affirm and celebrate the victim/survivor’s identity, worldviews and strengths and walk alongside them on their transformative journey to tend their inner fire. This could look like: learning about their worldviews and practices, joining them in a sport of hobby they might light to try, or verbally celebrating their resistance, strengths, and successes.
