Puppet project seeks to give kids a voice

SHOPPERS at Stockland Wendouree are set to get acquainted with some colourful and quirky faces.

Community exhibition The Puppet Project – Keeping Children’s Voices Front and Centre is being displayed at the shopping centre with the aim of creating awareness about family violence issues.

The event is also seeking to raise the profile of services provided by Van Go Children’s Creative Therapy Program and WRISC Family Violence Support.

Creative therapist Bec Knaggs has been part of the initiative that includes the perspectives of children who have experienced family violence.

“We know these children’s voices are rarely heard but it deeply, deeply affects them,” she said.

“We wanted to bring something to the public that is digestible so that people know the gravity of family violence, and especially the impacts that it has on children.

“We also didn’t want it to be difficult for people to witness, so we’ve used photographs of puppets with different facial expressions, and insightful quotes from children sharing their thoughts and feelings about family violence.

“There’s gravity, but there’s also playfulness and joy. We want it to be inclusive and accessible to children, adults, and a broad intersection of the general public.”

Ms Knaggs said as a shopping centre is a place that attracts a range of people it’s an ideal place to present the project.

“We want everyday people to be able to come and see it,” she said. “Family violence affects so many people, and all parts of society go to a shopping mall.

“We know in the family violence space, for a lot of people, going to the mall is somewhere they feel safe.”

The Puppet Project began as a lockdown creative therapy tool, where puppets were used to communicate with children via Zoom.

The mural can be seen by the Woolworths entry of Stockland until Sunday 29 October.