WAM Events - Creating Space for Conversations That Matter

Movie Event 

80 of our closest friends joined us for our WAMily movie night this month to see Silenced, a powerful documentary that creates space for important conversations about women, justice and the systems that shape their lives. 

International human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson takes audiences inside the courtroom and behind the global headlines, examining the weaponisation of defamation laws by alleged perpetrators to silence survivors and journalists. From International Emmy Award-winning director Selina Miles, Silenced is a powerful exploration of what happens when speaking out comes at a cost. 

The film sparked plenty of conversation among our audience - and a few strong feelings too. There was plenty to unpack afterwards, from the experiences of survivors and journalists to the systems that can make it difficult for women to speak, be heard and seek justice. 

For WAM, these conversations matter. Bringing our WAMily together around stories like Silenced gives us an opportunity to listen, reflect and challenge some of the assumptions that shape the way we think about women, justice and whose voices are heard. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make it such a thoughtful and engaging afternoon. 

 Art of Connection 

Our Art of Connection exhibition continues to create opportunities for women to share their creativity, experiences and perspectives with the wider community. 

Last month, Minister Luba Grigorovitch joined us for a private viewing of the exhibition at Sunshine Library, where she had the opportunity to hear directly from volunteer mentors, WAM staff and a graduate of our lived experience program about the impact of this work. 

As Minister for Carers and Volunteers, and with responsibility for Youth, Luba understands the value of community-led programs that create connection, build confidence and support people to move forward. We were grateful for her time, her interest in the exhibition and the opportunity to share more about the work happening across WAM. 

Art of Connection is about more than displaying artwork. It creates a space for women to be seen beyond their contact with the justice system as creative, capable people with stories, perspectives and experiences worth sharing. 

And the exhibition is continuing to travel, bringing these stories to new audiences and creating opportunities for more people to connect with women's experiences of the justice system. 

MORE locations coming soon...  

Courageous Conversation 

What happens when the people who most need support are told that no one knows how to help? 

That was the question at the heart of WAM's inaugural Courageous Conversation, Too Complex?  an honest and thought-provoking discussion about what happens when women are navigating multiple, interconnected challenges at the same time. 

Our first conversation featured Rachael Hill, a lived experience advocate, speaker and systems change advisor whose expertise has been shaped by her experiences navigating alcohol and other drug challenges, mental health, homelessness, family violence, child protection and the criminal legal system. 

Rachael shared what it can feel like to be described as "complex" when, in reality, you are trying to navigate several systems and crises at once. Family Court. Criminal Court. Housing. Substance use. Domestic violence. Mental health. Child protection. All while trying to find somewhere safe to sleep. 

One of the themes that emerged was what happens when systems look at individual problems rather than the whole person. Women can find themselves repeatedly telling their stories, retelling traumatic experiences, being referred from one service to another, and encountering different eligibility requirements, workers and definitions of what support they can provide. 

As Rachael put it: “People aren't too complex. Systems are.” 

The conversation also explored what women mean when they say: “I don't need another referral. I need someone to sit beside me.” 

For an audience that included people working across community services, government and the broader WAMily, the conversation was an opportunity to move beyond asking what happened? and instead ask what could we do differently? 

That is the purpose of Courageous Conversations: to create space for difficult questions, different perspectives and lived experience expertise, and to challenge ourselves to think differently about the systems and responses that shape women's lives. 

This is just the beginning. We look forward to bringing more Courageous Conversations to your community alongside the Art of Connection in the future.