Local teams shine a light on family violence

LIMESTONE Coast teams have participated in every Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge since its inception in 2017 and another strong contingent represented this region in this year’s event.

Belinda Seaman has spearheaded the local effort, combining her newly found love of running with the chance to showcase an important issue.

“In 2017 I had some health issues and decided to get more active,” Belinda said. “I started running by attending parkrun each Saturday morning and heard other runners talk about receiving medals for virtual running events, so I searched online for some inspiration.

“I came across the Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge that sounded interesting. I posted on a local running page asking to join someone’s team. No one else had heard of it, but several people said they would join a team if I started one.

“Within two days I had two full teams. It started as a fun way to get fit as part of a team, but it became my passion.”

Run Against Violence is a volunteer organisation whose purpose is to end the silence by starting constructive and comprehensive conversations around family violence and the Run Against Violence Virtual Team Challenge is a nationwide movement to raise awareness – and funds – by running 1300 kilometres with 2018 the only year the challenge has not gone ahead with organisers initially seeing it as a biennial event.

It soon became clear, though, it had strong support and has run every year since 2019, making this year’s Virtual Team Challenge the eighth instalment of the awareness raising event.

Together with Brad Smithers, Kirrily Dear established the charity Run Against Violence in 2015.

The RAV Virtual Team Challenge was established in 2017 in conjunction with Kirrily’s solo run from Broken Hill to Sydney which was held over 19 days, the 1300km solo run brought people together from throughout regional NSW to raise awareness about family violence and its impact on the community.

“Our virtual run equates to 1.7 million steps. 1.7 million is the estimated number of Australians who experienced physical abuse before the age of 15*,” Kirrily said. “Our job is to engage the broader community in conversations about family violence to reduce the stigma and isolation people who have lived with domestic and family violence. When that stigma is removed people then share their story, reach out for help. We deliver awareness campaigns and community activities in order to create the platform for these conversations around family violence to be heard.”

The run went from August 30 to September 17 and this year Belinda’s local team had 12 members ranging from long time supporters to new faces, with the ages ranging from 13 to 70.

“Across the Limestone Coast we had six teams that I know of, with a mix of returning and new members,” Belinda said. “We completed 7000km and have raised $1300 so far.”

And it is as much about the awareness raising as it is the fundraising.

“RAV estimates that every participant has 11 conversations about domestic and family violence during the challenge,” Belinda said. “With roughly 80 participants in our region, that is 880 conversations. Conversations can be about unacceptable behaviour people have experienced or witnessed, about helplines that are available to those in need, or about the help that is available for people worried about whether their own behaviour is abusive.”

Funds raised for RAV are being donated to NAPCAN’s Love Bites program. Love Bites is a healthy relationships program for kids and teenagers to help them work out what a healthy relationship looks like.

Not everyone has great role models at home, so this age-appropriate series of programs aims to help them work out what they want their relationships to look like and how to make it happen.

Love Bites is based on best practice standards for education programs as recommended by the Federal Government funded Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearing House and other leading academics in the area of violence against women.

Run Against Violence partners with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to help ensure that every teenager in Australia has the opportunity to learn about what healthy relationships look like for them.

NAPCAN’s deputy CEO Leesa Waters, said they were excited and grateful to have this amazing partnership with Run Against Violence who – like them – were committed to engaging the whole community in preventing domestic and family violence.

“In particular, we believe that Australia’s young people are our most powerful agents of change,” Leesa said. “Love Bites is an innovative respectful relationships education program that gives young people the opportunity to have frank and open conversations about what healthy relationships look like, what red flags look like, what consent looks like, and what feels ok for them.

More than $500,000 has been donated to NAPCAN’s Love Bites program since 2021 with $388,000 specifically invested in training initiatives.

RAV has funded the training of more than 1000 Love Bites facilitators in the past five years, empowering young Australians in healthy and respectful relationship education.

“Every conversation we have about respectful relationships – whether it’s through the Love Bites program, in everyday life, or as part of the RAV Challenge – is a step forward in creating a safer community now and into the future,” Leesa said.

And it is that sentiment that fires up Belinda and the Limestone Coast teams and gets them involved every year.

“We are all very passionate about this cause,” Belinda said. “Some members of our teams have experienced family violence personally, others have witnessed it or dealt with the consequences through work. Some have no personal experiences but we were all determined to make a change.

“People I have known for years that have never talked about this topic have opened up to me – I am so proud our message is reaching the community.”

If anyone is interested in joining a team for next year, or starting their own team, Belinda would love to hear from you. Either join the FB group (Run Against Violence – Limestone Coast), or call her on 0439 081 092.