Engender Equality’s Advocates for Change team involves more than 30 diverse victim-survivors from across Tasmania who share their lived experience to raise awareness, challenge attitudes and change policy and legislation for the better.

“The Advocates for Change program has been a transformative experience for me, helping to empower me to channel my experiences with violence into positive action.” – Caroline, Engender Equality Advocate for Change

This powerful and diverse group of survivors is available for a wide range of events and opportunities including:

  • Public speaking, presentations and panel discussions
  • Media interviews
  • Research projects
  • Government and political advocacy, and
  • Advisory groups and committees.

Engender Equality is commited to ensuring victim-survivors’ needs sit at the centre of all activities associated with the Advocates for Change program.

Our Advocates are trained and supported by Engender Equality representatives and our team of specialised family violence counsellors.

Risk assessment is used to ensure our Advocates’ personal and emotional safety is always at the forefront of any activity.

The Advocates for Change program contributes to Engender Equality’s Community, Systemic and Social approach to achieving our strategic Mission.

Express your interest in becoming an Advocate for Change

Engender Equality’s Advocates for Change have contributed thousands of hours of their time and expertise to a wide variety of activities since the program began in 2018.

Lived experience advisory is available via our Advocates for Change. Advocates are ready to participate in co-design processes with your group or organisation. Activities can range from surveys and research to media interviews, speeches, presentations, participation in campaigns, advisory groups and steering committees.

Our Advocates represent a diverse group culturally and socially, with lived experiences across a wide spectrum of abuse and family violence situations.

Click the link below to send an email to our Program Coordinator outlining the details of your opportunity. Let us know the specific topic of interest to you as well as the type of audience the Advocate will speak to and we can match an Advocate to your requirements.

Please note: Engender Equality’s Advocates for Change are volunteers who choose to contribute their time and expertise to create positive change.

Express your interest in becoming an Advocate for Change

Engender Equality’s Advocates for Change have contributed thousands of hours of their time and expertise to a wide variety of activities since the program began in 2018.

Recent highlights

What do Advocates do? Take a look at some of our activities.

Do you have lived experience of gendered violence, sexual, emotional, financial, physical or emotional abuse? Do you want to channel your experience into systemic, community and social change?

Advocates for Change is a volunteer program, where you are trained and supported to advocate for powerful change using your lived experience and expertise.

Read what the program involves below and then make contact with us to express your interest in joining the program.

Application and assessment
Before you undertake training, we assess your suitability and readiness through the application process. The wellbeing of our Advocates is at the centre of this program through emphasis on your personal and emotional safety. We work with you to assess potential risks and discuss your readiness. Engender Equality also provides ongoing support to all advocates through our Project Coordinator (who also has lived experience).

Training
Our four-day training program builds your knowledge about the drivers of violence and current statistics as well as practical skills like working with the media, identifying and crafting effective messages for the media, developing and practicing delivering a speech and tips on influencing decision makers using our stories. Content is guided by Experts by Experience framework (Safe and Equal) and Voices for Change (Our Watch) which provides a powerful platform for victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence to use their stories and experiences to educate, inform, bring systemic change and advocate for the prevention and reduction of gender-based violence.

Making change
Once you have completed the training program, we have another discussion with you to assess your readiness and comfort to take part and refine how you would like to engage in opportunities in a safe and supported way.Opportunities are sourced and reviewed by our Project Coordinator who will let you know of requests for Advocate participation. The Project Coordinator also provides support to our Advocates before, during and after each activity and is able to draw on Engender Equality’s team of specialised family violence counsellors when required. There is no obligation to participate in every opportunity, and your level of engagement or participation in the program is flexible based on your needs.

Ongoing training
From time to time we are able to provide additional training opportunities that build on the skills of our Advocates for Change. Recent opportunities included a three-day advocacy training program on how to effectively lobby government and advocate for changes to policy and law. We also keep you informed of other training opportunities available through supporting organisations and other lived experience programs.

Express your interest in becoming an Advocate for Change