Who is WRISC and what is VanGo?
WRISC provides support for all women and children affected by family violence. They are a not-for-profit organisation that understands that family violence occurs across all communities and in range of circumstances. To ensure WRISC’S response is inclusive, relevant and respectful they work with a variety of services and supports across the region to ensure the voices of all are heard. As well as providing advocacy, crisis services, including accommodation, help with material and practical needs, they also offer a number of counselling programs for women and children, such as VanGo Children’s Creative Therapy Program.
Van Go provides creative therapies to children who have experienced family violence. Van Go is an innovative model of child-centred therapeutic services, developed locally to meet the needs of rural communities and service Ballarat, Moorabool, Golden Plains and Hepburn LGA’s. They provide creative therapy for families and/or individuals. A central aspect of Van Go is a flexible and responsive service that adapts to the needs of highly traumatised children, rather than expecting the family to fit a rigid and inflexible centre-based service model.
The Puppet Project is a passion project that aims to raise awareness of, and create conversations about family violence and the services of Van Go/WRISC through a portable, community mural that gives voice to children who have experienced family violence. During lock-down in 2020, the VanGo Team had children create sock puppets as part of their creative therapy program. The team at VanGo took photos of these amazing puppets and have funding to put together a relocatable mural displaying images of the sock puppets. The WRISC and VanGo Team would like to officially “launch” the mural in the community during Children’s week in Ballarat - they need some help organisaing and co-ordinating this. You can help remotely.
Working alongside the passionate team at WRISC, you will assist with funding submissions, connecting with local community for in kind support – ie restaurants, cafes, Art Gallery and initiating relationships with local councils. They will also need help with Organising/designing invitations for opening event and march, organising food/drinks/trestle tables and help with securing a location for the mural to be exhibited and an accompanying opening/celebration/march on the required dates in Children’s week - Saturday 21 October to Sunday 29 October 2023.
“The vibrant Van Go Puppets are becoming our mascots, bringing the important message of safety, community, inclusivity, care, shared responsibility and children’s voices to the forefront of the family violence space.”
The passionate women championing this project are super-organised with a plan of what needs to be done…they just need your assistance and experience to help bring this all together.
You will bring your talent of initiating and developing rapport with outside stakeholders to the team, who will see the value in raising awareness in the community and giving a voice to these children.
Initially you will meet with them over the phone to learn in greater detail about the service and the project. As a team, you will be able to walk away with a list of responsibilities and a timeframe for delivery.