A grassroots movement to support survivors of child sexual abuse has big plans to expand its work in the future, with a new permanent home and official charity status.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Community members started tying colourful ribbons on the front fence of the former St Alipius Boys School site in 2015 to show support for victims and survivors and amplify their voices.
The movement has grown in Ballarat and around the world and now LOUD fence is taking its next big steps.
LOUD fence was granted registered charity status this week and has been gifted use of an unused house by St Alipius Parish School.
We are still trying to reconcile in our hearts and in our minds how this happened.
- Karen Monument, LOUD fence chair
The organisation's chairperson Karen Monument said being a registered charitable organisation meant the group could now fundraise to support activities and advocate as an organisation to government.
She said having access to a formal space opened up new opportunities to run meetings and activities like art classes and social gatherings for survivors.
"We are really thinking now about a range of different things we can do that continue to support our victim survivors in ways they want to be supported and activities they want to participate in," she said.
"We know from what has taken place with the Continuous Voices project the City of Ballarat led that supported art activity really works incredibly well with this particular group. We want to be able to continue that into the future.
"It also gives us a space where we can continue to meet, hear about what other ideas our victim survivors have and how they would like to see their voices amplified into the future."
St Alipius Parish School principal Emily Clarke said it was important to acknowledge the history in the parish and support the LOUD fence movement.
"We were really excited a space we are not able to use at the moment will be used by such a worthwhile cause," she said.
"I think it is a lovely thought for us that we have a group of people who are working on their healing in the same block as children who are working on using their voice and being empowered."
Ms Monument said a significant number of people in the Ballarat community continued to feel the ripple effects of child sexual abuse every day.
"It stays with the victim survivor a long time, their healing journey is a long and difficult one. It also stays a long time with the people around them," she said.
"In Ballarat you would be hard pressed to not look around yourself and find you do not touch into this space, whether it is your own family member, a work colleague, someone you know from a sporting club, or in your social circles.
"Even though we have heard the stories so many times over the last decade in Ballarat, we are still shocked, we are still trying to reconcile in our hearts and in our minds how this happened."
LOUD fence will work with victim survivors to plan for the future use of the organisation's new space and ability to fundraise.
Ms Monument said the colourful ribbons will continue to remain an integral part of the organisation's work, but they now wanted to and could do so much more.
St Alipius Boys School was one of many Ballarat institutes where child sexual abuse occurred at the hands of members of the clergy.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
