OUR YEAR 2014
It’s not OK – Year in Review
Introduction
In 2014 the It’s not OK Campaign continued to develop strong partnerships with a wide range of communities. We truly saw the power of community campaigns fronted by their own champions.
People who stand up and speak out in their own community, whether it’s a sports club, church congregation, neighbourhood, school or cultural group, make a huge contribution to making family violence unacceptable by becoming champions. People listen to people they know and respect when they say family violence is not OK, but it’s OK to ask for and offer help.
Ordinary New Zealanders from many different walks of life put their faces to local campaigns around New Zealand – some of those campaigns were already happening before we knew about them. For us, these impressive and proactive local responses signalled a big shift in communities taking responsibility for addressing the huge social problem that family violence presents in New Zealand.
Two important research projects were undertaken in 2014, both of which will inform our work in the future. One was a Campaign Community Evaluation Project commissioned by It’s not OK to find out if change is happening in communities where we’ve had a presence over a long period of time.
The other was commissioned by the Owen Glenn Inquiry, titled Narratives of Change. Through this project former perpetrators of family violence were interviewed about what and how they changed and became violence-free fathers and partners.
We supported a men’s hui where nearly 80 men discussed what they can do to stop family violence in their families and communities.
We also rebuilt our website making it tablet and smartphone friendly, refreshed some of our printed resources and continued building our presence on social media.
We continued to attract interest from people and organisations overseas who see It’s not OK as a model for changing attitudes and behaviour on a national scale.
2014 was It’s not OK’s seventh year, having launched in September 2007. The campaign is based at the Ministry of Social Development but is brought to life by New Zealanders on the ground in their communities and by violence free champions who tell their stories of change.
The It’s not OK Team
Year in statistics
1,365 increase in Facebook page likes to 6,035
Facebook post reach of 853,076
3,753 calls to the Family Violence Information Line
More than 40 community-led family violence prevention projects
More than 100 community champions have been trained to support their OWN communities to become violence-free
It’s not OK gave more than 80 presentations and workshops to build the capability of communities and organisations to support a violence-free New Zealand
94% of It’s not OK partners agree that the campaign has increased their ability to address or prevent family violence
4 weeks of television advertising
148% increase in calls to the Family Violence Information Line during TV advertising periods (March and December)
Community Action/Events
First It’s not OK College
Mangere College in South Auckland became the first high school in New Zealand to embed the It’s not OK campaign in the school community.
Student leaders fronted the campaign, with some of them training as ‘go to’ people for students needing help with family violence.
Student spokesperson Desaray Williams said “Being a champion isn’t just about wearing a t shirt or having a title, it’s about making a change for someone else. It’s about guiding them through their struggles”
Branding developed by students featured on billboards, posters, t shirts, drink bottles, and a student-designed pendant. A student-devised rap song was recorded and put together with a Claymation project, both on the theme of family violence. It’s not OK Campaign has made a DVD to show other schools how Mangere College developed their campaign. It’s on our You Tube channel at http://www.areyouok.org.nz/
Community Champions
A range of communities launched campaigns fronted by local champions – everyday people who agreed to put their faces to efforts to stop family violence. They received training so they knew how to respond when approached for help.
Research commissioned by It’s not OK shows that community champions are essential to raising awareness about family violence at a community level and building the readiness of a community to change. They become the face of non-violence in their community and also a point of contact for people wanting help, both perpetrators and victims.
In Wellsford and Otamatea, north of Auckland, 12 community champions including local kaumatua and kuia, teachers, a former Police officer, sports coaches, faith leaders, health workers and local youth, led a local campaign. Champions appeared on posters around town and attended community events such as the Christmas parade, to promote their violence prevention messages. Messages included:
o Korerotia o maemae - Speak out about your hurt/pain
o It’s none of my business? Yeah Right! It’s everyone’s responsibility bro!
o Speak out – say no to secrets and no to family violence!
o Healthy communities are free from family violence.
The Te Rito family violence network developed a local referral chart that champions distributed, showing the range of services that people can go to for support. Local media were supportive, carrying a number of articles related to the campaign.
In Huntly, a working group with leadership from Police, invited a range of locals to be champions for change, appearing on posters and billboards and at local community events under the banner “Huntly Proud! Family violence: It’s not OK“. The champions include women who are survivors of family violence, Maori wardens, youth workers, school principals, and local whanau. Champions were provided with training so they could be a friendly face in the community that people could talk to and who could start conversations, connect people to services and show leadership on this issue. A lively Facebook page was established at Facebook.com/HuntlyItsNotOk and the campaign was launched with strong community support at a free family fun day in November, where many of the champions were introduced to their community.
In Motueka, the family violence network wanted to show positive images of good men who look out for their mates, care for their families and themselves. The question “where are all the good men?” was asked through local news media. Many men responded and a series of posters was developed using their images with positive messages about being good men.
In Matamata Piako, 10 local champions including the Mayor have been attending events and maximising opportunities to get the message out. Billboards and posters were displayed in Matamata, Morrinsville and Te Aroha and a local website was developed based on the national It’s not OK website.
This campaign has made good use of local news media for community events such as the Tower Run where apples were handed out with stickers stating “Handle with care, I bruise easily – family violence is not OK”. The stickers were put on by children.
“The highlight has been the positive reception we receive when working with the community – from individuals, organisations, clubs and businesses. People are always keen to support us and help to further the message. Many see the It’s not OK message as complementary to their own messages or organisational culture. People in our community want to see families doing well.” Family Violence Network Coordinator, Ros Nacekivell.
Through a partnership with Changemakers Refugee Forum in Wellington, 10 people from refugee backgrounds were selected to become community champions.
They received training on family violence, parenting, how to safely raise the subject and how to respond when people approached them with family violence issues. They participated in workshops about what it means to be a community champion, how to support change at a community-level by working with leaders and influencers and by using effective messages.
The champions worked together on three different projects across Wellington, Porirua and the Hutt Valley. One of the projects, informally dubbed “Team Mosque”,worked with the Muslim communities in South Wellington and Newlands/Johnsonville to increase discussion around family violence, and encourage men to change their views about the role of women.
The project also worked with the local Imam and ran parenting workshops, with a focus on parenting teenagers and the role of fathers.
Other Local Campaigns
In Upper Hutt ,Mayor Wayne Guppy hosted two forums for faith leaders where they could learn more about family violence and how they can create a supportive environment for people living with violence at home.
The Upper Hutt City Council also developed a How Can You Help? Prezi – a short interactive presentation that gives people information on family violence and what they can do or say to help someone. It was launched at a public event which brought the community together, and is available as a resource for community agencies and used in public workshops at the Upper Hutt City Library.
The Prezi has now been made into a national resource that can be adapted with family violence statistics and information on local services relevant to particular communities.
In Dunedin, the local network Dunedin Collaboration Against Family Violence developed a Families Free from Violence campaign and website in collaboration with a range of agencies that work in family violence, addictions, Māori communities, mental health, youth, the elderly as well as Government agencies.
The website has information on being violence-free, helping other families and how to help create a violence-free community. It is being used by Police and professionals to refer clients to the right service.
A brightly branded marquee, BBQ and bouncy castle with a QR code encourages people to use the website. It is used at local events and loaned to other community groups.
The network found that people didn’t engage easily with family violence stalls at events, but when they offered children’s activities such as bubble mixture, superhero capes, or a bouncy castle, it was much easier to interact with parents while they watched their children.
Sports Communities
It’s not OK continued to support and deepen partnerships with both Rugby League and Rugby communities across the country, who have built family violence prevention in to their sports culture.
Don’t be an Egg
Rugby League Northland launched a new DVD in May. ‘Don’t’ be an Egg’ sends out a strong message that sideline abuse is not OK. The DVD's message is that it's ok to be passionate — it's ok to support your team — it's ok to yell encouragement — BUT it's not OK to lose your temper on the sideline.
It's not OK has partnered with Rugby League Northland for three years, with the message that violence is not OK on or off the field.
"This concept fits right into New Zealand Rugby League's (NZRL) 'more than just a game' philosophy and one of our goals is to help make our community a better place to live in," Rugby League Northland General Manager Alex Smits said.
Secondary Schools Tournament
It’s not OK once again supported the NZRL National Secondary Schools Tournament in South Auckland in September.
A workshop about family violence was delivered for more than 50 young leaders from the participating schools. The young leaders brainstormed how they might safely offer help or intervene in a range of common scenarios, then visited local schools to share the violence is not OK message.
Three It’s not OK awards were presented at the prize giving for demonstrating fair play and leadership as well as on-field performance.
“NZRL are proud of our association with the 'It's not OK' message. The reason this partnership is so successful is because of the passion and dedication of the people who deliver the initiatives. The 2014 calendar of events has been a huge success with a major impact on our community from grass roots level through to our young elite players and future leaders,” NZRL Commercial Manager Sarah Lewis said.
Northland Rugby Union
It’s not OK was displayed loud and clear on the field at Toll Stadium Whangarei for a home game dedicated to addressing family violence in 2014. The match featured campaign champion Vic Tamati at half-time calling on all men to be part of the solution.
Northland Rugby Union also hosted family violence workshops by Vic and local violence-free champion Phil Paikea where participants learned about how to help their friends, family and colleagues who are affected by family violence.
Campaign branding on season passes, match day programmes and uniforms reinforced the message.
Upper Hutt Rugby Club
“There has also been an increase in responsibility from the club that it is their responsibility to ensure their club members and their families are safe at the clubrooms and at home – violence in particular is now taken very seriously.” The club’s It’s not OK project coordinator Wayne Radovic
This illustrates how Upper Hutt Rugby Club has taken family violence prevention on board. Their campaign has been supported by the chairperson of the day, with a number of activities being driven from the leadership level. This included a letter to all clubs on appropriate sideline behaviour following an incident involving a spectator in a Wellington Premier Rugby match in June 2014.
The club also awards a trophy to the player that embodies the spirit of being violence-free and what it means to have healthy relationships.
National Partnerships
2014 saw some new national partnerships and some existing ones develop further.