Never too Young to Get the Message
They may be young but the Aranui Eagles have already got the message that family violence is not OK.
The young league players were presented with It’s not OK mouth guards and drink bottles at the beginning of the season by their manager Cherie Irwin.
The boys are aged from four to seven years old and are all playing league for the first time this season. The team has already notched up a few wins and according to Cherie, there is tremendous support for the boys with mums, dads, cousins, uncles, aunties, grandparents and all sorts on the sidelines supporting the Saturday games.
Cherie says Aranui is a ‘hot spot’ for family violence so it made sense for the Aranui Community Trust to sponsor the mouthguards and drink bottles for all the teams at the Aranui Eagles Rugby League Club as they have the highest participation rate of youth and young adults in the area.
This is one of the many strategies that the Trust has implemented to raise awareness of family violence.
And not quite so young but producing some equally good role models is the Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union. The management and players are working with Tairawhiti Men Against Violence, and TAIN (Tairawhiti Abuse Intervention Network) to increase awareness and understanding of family violence within the rugby community.
They have produced their own mini booklet featuring messages from some of the club’s role models and including contact numbers for local services. The PBRFU is spreading the violence-free message during school and community visits and It’s not OK also gets a mention in their regular column in the Gisborne Herald.
Off the field but on the court there is continued support for the Campaign from the Breakers Basketball and the Pulse Netball teams. The Campaign is providing the Breakers community coaches with core information on family violence and what to do if someone discloses violence, or needs more information about getting help.
This information will be useful when the players speak in schools and at community events about their support for the It’s not OK Campaign.
The Campaign is working in partnership with Women’s Refuge raising awareness and understanding through the Pulse team. The team recently met Kelly, a survivor of family violence, who talked about her experiences. The players wear the It’s not OK message on their uniform and also promote the Campaign during community and school visits.
Read more about the Campaign for Action on Family Violence.
