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in my time in vsac i have learned that these people who we call victim survivors are some of the bravest and most courageous people i've ever met they bring their experiences their trauma and their expertise to family violence reform in a way that ensures positive change i have heard the voice of lived experience and it is loud and getting louder and it is strong it is wise and well developed it is broad and deep the voice of lived experience must be embedded at the heart of reform shaping the system the policies and programs that victim survivors know are needed for safety for recovery and for victims of family violence to live well i came into visak with this real vigor about wanting to change the world and teach other people about family violence one of the biggest things for me is that i thought change looked like a loud voice and what i've realised is that to really be heard you have to learn to listen vsac has enhanced my confidence at a professional level i've learned how to talk to different stakeholders by being exposed to different parts of the family violence reforms being able to respectfully challenge people is a skill that i've acquired being a part of vsac made me realize i had done nothing wrong my experience didn't happen because i deserved it the power of the women on the council at fsv has taken away the stigma for me i walk with my head high and my shoulders back i walk with so much more confidence i'm able to use my qualified knowledge through my lived experience i feel heard and supported by my colleagues we are a diverse group and don't always agree but share with honesty and listen with respect in safe spaces real teaching happens i can be authentic vulnerable fierce and fragile all at the same time the work is hard but equally rewarding vsac has helped me to realign with what i feel was my original purpose from childhood it has connected me back to my passion as a kid a passion to help people four years ago i felt like i was under something so heavy and i didn't know how i was going to get out from underneath it now i stand on top of it with this view what was once oppressing me i now stand on top of
i think that togetherness and partnership is so important rather than people going off and doing everything separately i've learned to speak up to say exactly how it is i've seen this modeled by other vsac members and have seen how strong women can be but they can also be gentle i have done some public speaking events and shared the story of my daughter's tragic death after i shared my story people came up to me asking me questions acknowledging there was a problem and how my story has impacted them my story has motivated people to make changes i'm glad i can make a difference in this way i feel more motivated and encouraged in my ability to become a social worker after being a part of vsac vsac has definitely helped motivate me and ground me in a bigger picture perspective i feel more confident in my ability as a disability advocate and i've had a lot of success stories and wins both in my individual advocacy and systemic advocacy work which are so rewarding both personally and professionally the more events that i speak at the more young people are reaching out to me i think people are starting to have or want to have those conversations and it's not only a cultural shift that i'm starting to see but i also have seen the impacts that i'm having on young people and it's been so moving and meaningful for me as an advocate i've learned a lot from the other council members about elder youth and lgbtiq issues now i have a greater understanding from other perspectives when i speak now i don't just speak from an aboriginal perspective but from other perspectives i've learnt from the other members so much i'm willing to learn don't think because i'm 56 that i'm not willing to learn when i think about how many people in my age group don't know what family violence is i think my role has been to advocate for helping them understand how they could do something if they chose to besac members recognise my experience and believe me being believed is probably the most important thing of all i feel that family violence is not spoken about enough in my community i didn't use any aboriginal services during my time going through the court systems my goal now that i am on vsac is to get my community to accept that it is an issue and to work towards eliminating it i've found a lot of purpose through being on vsec through sharing my lived experience i've turned my traumatic past into an experience that helps shape law reform my experience helps to protect others it helps to better support victim survivors vsac has given me a platform for my advocacy work it's allowed me to represent my communities outside vsac with that little vsac banner under my name and has given me opportunities to spread the word and that's priceless vsac has allowed me to plan for the future and look at the areas of change that are at the top of my list it's given me the opportunity of working from inside the system and trying to make changes from within
i have a voice now within and outside of vsac and i'll use that voice i probably didn't realize how much a voice i had until i came to vsac
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