Shaynna Blaze

10th October 2024

Co-founder and Creative Director of Voice of Change, Shaynna Blaze, has joined the Stop it at the Start campaign to encourage the community to speak up and speak out about gendered disrespect.

“We have to stand up as a society and say enough, as individuals, we need to be part of making this change about gendered violence.”

Family and domestic violence can be a difficult topic to discuss. Shaynna sees the arts, and her foundation, Voice of Change, as a way to get the messages around domestic violence across to the general public.

“You say family and domestic violence, and people instantly either turn away or freeze up or don't want to talk about it. The arts is about communicating the message so people feel comfortable to start those uncomfortable conversations.”

Gender-based violence has long term and far-reaching impacts. It affects children, families, friends, work colleagues, communities and society as a whole.

But we can all take action to help prevent it.

The Conversation Guide can help you start the conversation about respect and respectful relationships with the young people in your life.

Shaynna Blaze joins as campaign ambassador

Violence against women has to stop. It is now a national crisis. So I'd like to ask you today, how are you going to help and are you going to be one of the people that makes a change for us for the future?

Hi, I'm Shaynna Blaze. I am the creative director and co-founder of Voice of Change.

Voice of Change is about using the arts to get the message of family and domestic violence across to the general public. You say family and domestic violence, and people instantly either turn away or freeze up or don't want to talk about it.

The arts is about communicating the message so people feel comfortable to start those uncomfortable conversations. It's very easy to turn a blind eye. It's very easy to walk away.

We have to stand up as a society and say ‘enough’. As individuals, we need to be part of making this change about gendered violence.

Social media has a really important role to play in kids communicating together, having friendship groups, and kids are going online to see their gender roles of how a man should be, how a boy should act. And as adults, it's so important to be able to be the mentor to guide kids.

We aren't born with the tools of how to be a respectful person. We have to learn it. And so we need to have the language, we need to have the tools, and also knowing that if we fail, we have somebody that we can go to and talk to.

The only way we are going to have an equal society is when children see how the adults look after each other and treat each other with respect. As an adult, as a parent, you are meant to be an example because as a parent, if you are not understanding your own mistakes, how can you teach your kids?

It's up to us as a community to speak up and be present and not let things pass us by.
The more we talk about it, the more we take away the shame about speaking up and speaking out.

Learn the hidden trends of disrespect before they lead to violence.
Visit respect.gov.au.