The Champions of the West program hosted the launch of Sport and Recreation Victoria’s new Safe and Inclusive Sport: Preventing Gender-Based Violence Guide at Whitten Oval.
The launch was attended by Minister Vicki Ward, new Western Bulldogs Community Foundation GM Louise Perry, Western Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains, Western Football Netball League CEO David Jennings and GenWest CEO Dale Wakefield, as well as project partners Women’s Health Grampians, Western Football Netball League and Western Bulldogs Community Foundation.
The Safe and Inclusive Sport Guide provides strategies to help organisations – including state sporting associations, local councils and women’s health services – support local sports clubs, leagues and associations to build and strengthen safe, inclusive and respectful cultures.
The resource also includes examples of partnerships and projects that are currently driving cultural change and contributing to the prevention of gender-based violence in workplace and sport settings. This includes the Champions of the West community education campaign, which is run in partnership by GenWest, the Western Bulldogs Football Club, the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, Women’s Health Grampians and the Western Football Netball League.
The Champions of the West campaign is levelling the playing field for women, girls, and gender-diverse footy players. It champions respectful relationships which leads to the prevention of gender-based violence. The GenWest-led initiative is one of 12 community-based sporting projects across the state recently supported with a $1.2 million funding boost from the Labor Government through its Preventing Violence Through Sports Grants program.
Find out more information about Sport and Recreation Victoria’s new Safe and Inclusive Sport Guide.
Do you participate in or lead a sports club and do you want to be part of the movement towards a safer, more inclusive world?
If you’d like to learn how sports can serve as a powerful tool to challenge harmful norms, foster respect, and promote gender equality, GenWest can help! We offer training packages for clubs on Preventing Gender-Based Violence Through Sport and Leading Gender Equitable Sports Clubs.
