Respect Ballarat is led by a set of principles developed in collaboration with the local co-design working group. They provide a framework to guide both the work that happens, and how we do the work together. The principles will be adapted alongside iterations of the work.
The principles guide approaches to design and implementation, funding processes and local governance, as well as partnerships and collaboration.
Priority people and places
Respect Ballarat aims to reach the whole Ballarat community in all the places that people work, learn, live and play. To achieve a ‘saturating’ effect, we need to get targeted – which means building on prevention and early intervention work in specific places, with specific groups of people. This will have a ripple effect; when prevention threads are effectively woven into these spaces and communities, change will ripple out.
Through 12 months of co-design and collaboration, engagement and evidence-building, several priority places and groups of people were identified as the starting point for this work. These places and people have been chosen based on what we learned, what work is already happening, where the gaps are, and where the evidence tells us the most impact can be achieved.
Places
“It means sporting clubs taking a stand… Need to hear from them all and how they are working to change men’s and boy’s attitudes” – community member.
Community sport is woven into the culture of Ballarat. Many women, men and gender diverse people of all ages play sport, with the highest levels of participation from young people under 14 and people in their 30s.
Many local clubs are working hard to create inclusive, safe environments for everyone - where coaches and leaders are trained to support people who disclose violence or harm, or to safely challenge harmful attitudes. Through local consultation we also learned about misogyny, homophobia and excusing of violence on and off the field, as well as structural and cultural barriers to participation.
Community sports provide an opportunity to create inclusive, respectful and safe environments for everyone. The evidence tells us that when it comes to prevention in sport, a whole-of-sport approach will have the most impact on preventing gendered violence. This means tailored approaches with players, coaches, administrators, volunteers, and families to help challenge harmful behaviours and set positive expectations.
Find out more about sports initiatives supported by Respect Ballarat here.
“Most men lack knowledge around the more nuanced drivers of gender inequality and do not have the language to discuss these issues." – Man, community connector participant
Parents and carers shape how gendered norms, respect and safety are modelled in families. There are more than 11,000 couples with children in Ballarat.
Through consultation, we consistently heard that heterosexual couples in particular are struggling to create equitable partnerships, particularly when they have children. We heard that fathers are searching for spaces to connect, and mothers are often holding the lion’s share of the load at home. We heard about opportunities to build capacity in early years settings.
Working with the whole family in the early years of a child's life offers a unique opportunity to interrupt harmful gender norms before they are entrenched, or to intervene early when needed.
Find out more about early years initiatives supported by Respect Ballarat here.
“Recently in health we’ve done some stuff on gendered violence, talking about men and how they disrespect women, the boys just laugh when they brought up violence against women.” – young woman, community connector conversation.
From both young people and adults, we consistently heard about the need for a community-wide prevention approach, across the life span. This means supporting people of all ages to learn about respectful relationships and preventing gendered violence – in schools, higher education, and across the community.
Young people told us that often they are receiving the right messages at school, but when they go home, to their local sports club, or out into the schoolyard they are hearing the opposite. This was amplified for young people from marginalised communities, who often face additional discrimination including racism, homophobia, and/or ableism.
Find out more about education initiatives supported by Respect Ballarat here.
“The future needs to be driven by men with an agenda of equality, who are shifting old ideals to bring intergenerational change. Taking responsibility leads to accountability, which leads to social change." – co-designer.
There are over 5,000 workplaces in Ballarat, with large workforces in healthcare, manufacturing, education, transport and local government. Prevention approaches in workplaces, particularly male-dominated workforces, offer the opportunity to reach many people and build intergenerational prevention learning in a structured environment.
Throughout consultation, we heard that most formal leadership roles in Ballarat are held by men, and gendered power dynamics are continuing to play out in many workforces. Women and gender diverse people are experiencing sexism, homophobia, ableism, racism and in some cases harassment and violence.
Significant work is happening across many industries and organisations, particularly with the implementation of the Gender Equality Act and more broadly many adopting policies and practices to enable prevention. For many workplaces, the next steps include translating policies into practice, fostering positive cultures and more diverse leadership representation across workplaces, while also addressing harmful gender norms and masculinities in the workplace.
Find out more about workplace initiatives supported by Respect Ballarat here.
People
"I've talked to my girlfriend about it; she's experienced some violence and talked to me about it. I didn't know how to respond really. If I understood more, I'd understand what to say." - young man.
Many men in Ballarat want to play a role in preventing gendered violence – but they need support to reflect, learn and act. Many told us that they want more education and community-wide learning to support them to understand what daily actions they can take, how to challenge harmful attitudes amongst their peers, and how to respond to disclosures of people experiencing or using violence. They spoke about wanting to challenge harmful attitudes and comments, but fear backlash, isolation or saying the ‘wrong thing.’
We heard that many men in Ballarat have developed a greater understanding of and openness towards talking about their mental health and wellbeing, with education and workplace or peer-led campaigns proving effective. This provides a foundation on which to build opportunities for prevention efforts. We also heard that many men want more support to understand how to safely express their emotions.
"[A safer Ballarat looks like] Heterosexual couples sharing the mental load of raising children or sharing a life together. Adequate parental leave provided for all parents, and societal expectations that parents of all genders will take leave for new children." - community member.
Parents in Ballarat told us that in many households, housework, the mental load, parenting and care are not equally shared - particularly for heterosexual couples. We also heard that it’s still challenging for men in some workplaces to take longer parental leave, and that women are often juggling the bulk of paid and unpaid work in households.
Fatherhood is a critical transition point for many men, and evidence shows that men are more likely to show vulnerability and be more open to reflecting on their attitudes in relation to gendered norms, parenting and relationships at this time.
"What is taught in the classroom is not reinforced throughout the school. What happens in the yard or the corridor is a different story and no one really cares." -young person.
Young people in Ballarat told us that most of the time, they are getting Respectful Relationships education –but there's work to do to achieve a whole of school, and whole-of-community approach. Young people spoke to us about experiencing or witnessing misogyny, transphobia, racism and ableism in school, at home, in the community and online.
"[A safer, respectful future] Is a world where I'm listening to leaders who are promoting kindness, compassion and equality." - co-designer.
We heard consistently that community-wide, intergenerational education and action on preventing gendered violence is critical. People told us that they want to be guided by those who they trust – friends, family, community and faith leaders, coaches and teachers. They want to hear and learn from people who are relatable, close to home, and putting prevention into action in their everyday lives. These may be people who already hold formal leadership roles in the community, or other community members who people gravitate to and listen to.