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| OXFORD ST SAFE PLACE GETS A GOOD WRAP |
20 / 6 / 08
ACON is set to work more closely with police, government and other community groups on a range of new anti-violence projects following the closure of the Oxford St Safe Place at the end of the month.
Located at 60 Oxford St, the facility was set up in November last year in response to increasing levels of homophobic violence in the Oxford St precinct and a perceived lack of action by the Government and by the NSW Police Service. It was part of a community campaign designed to raise awareness about homophobic violence, to increase reporting of violence, to provide a refuge for people escaping violence and to improve the response from NSW Police and from the Government.
The six month pilot project was a partnership between ACON, the leading health promotion agency for NSW’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, through the Lesbian & Gay Anti-Violence Project (AVP) and the City of Sydney.
A recent evaluation of the project has found that while there is broad community support for the project, the objectives of increased community awareness, greater government engagement and improved police service are well underway. This means the resources which would be required to continue the project can now be used more effectively in other ways.
ACON President Mark Orr says the Safe Place achieved many significant outcomes during its six-month trial.
“The most important result was getting people to focus on the issue of homophobic violence, particularly around Oxford St,” he says. “As a result, our community’s relationship with Surry Hills police has improved substantially. There’s an increased police presence around Oxford St, customer service is improving at the Local Area Command, there are now a range of ongoing consultation processes in place, and discussions are underway around joint work.
“Reports of violence to the AVP have increased significantly since the opening of the Safe Place and our community is now much more aware of the need to report incidents of homophobic violence as the most effective way to get police and government to take action.
“The Safe Place provided a place for victims of violence to get support and assistance and we’ll be continuing this by refocussing on our Safe Place Businesses program which aims to provide people with a whole a range of places where they can seek help if they need it. In addition to this we’ll be refocussing on anti-homophobia work in schools as well as lobbying relevant authorities for better security for our community.”
Mr Orr says the Safe Place project would not have been possible without the support of the volunteers who staffed the facility every Friday and Saturday right through the early hours of the morning.
“Our whole community is extremely grateful to our wonderfully dedicated Safe Place volunteers and we thank them for all the great work they’ve done in helping to make Oxford St a safer place for everyone.”
The Oxford St Safe Place will officially close after the weekend of June 28/29.
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview or photo opportunity, please contact
Michael Badorrek, ACON Media and Communications Manager
T: (02) 9206 2001 M: 0400 358 109 E: mbadorrek@acon.org.au
Posted: 20/06/08
16/04/2008
The AVP, in partnership with the NSW Anti-Homophobia Interagency (AHI), is working to make schools safer for same-sex attracted young people. In April 2008, the Anti-Homophobia Interagency held a sucessful conference addressing homophobia in NSW schools. The conference was for educators and school welfare staff, students, parents and researchers in sexuality and education.This is the second time the 'That's So Gay' conference has been held, the first being in 2006. The 2008 conference grew in popularity, with over 250 participants mainly from NSW but also from other states and from New Zealand in attendance.
The aims for the conference were:
- To generate strategic recommendations to address homophobia within educational settings.
- To discuss and develop strategies to assist teachers and students to address inequity.
- To foster partnerships in advocating for same-sex attracted and gender questioning students and teachers.
- To demonstrate best practice models.
- To demonstrate safe and supporting environments for young people.
Overall, respondents were overwhelmingly positive about the conference.
The conference was addressed by a range of guest speakers including Mr Coutts-Trotter. Lynne Hillier and Ann Mitchell’s presentation and workshop were by far the most popular parts of the day. Affrica’s presentation, and the involvement of young people (especially the 9 year old comedian who welcomed conference attendees) were also highly praised. Other aspects of the conference considered useful were the resources and practical ideas, the discussions, and networking opportunities.
The conference explored current theories and strategies for affirming sexual diversity and addressing homophobia within the education system.
Posted: 10/06/08