Talking about domestic violence and other social issues is never easy, despite our awareness that it is wrong and unacceptable. But Tantrum Youth Arts endeavours to make that conversation starter a little easier through theatre-in-education performances.
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“The program contributes in a positive way for our audiences. The biggest message of the whole program and performance is that there are lots of services out there for people who want to talk about these things,” Tantrum Youth Arts director Tamara Gazzard said.
Tamara and her troupe performed at the multi-purpose centre on Wednesday in front of Moree Secondary College students, in a bid to get the conversation rolling.
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Tantrum Youth Arts aims to reduce these statistics, with funding support from Greater Charitable Foundation.
The Opening Doors program aims to educate and empower school students between years nine to 12 with increased knowledge and understanding of the causes and impacts of domestic violence, and to acquaint them with the avenues of support available in their local communities.
“Opening Doors is structured in a unique way that consists of both live performance and an interactive discussion forum to engage students and instigate critical dialogue,” Ms Gazzard said.
One scene the performers explore, is the conversation about domestic violence in a family setting.
“A daughter tries to talk to her mum about the violence she sees in the home. The mother tries to make excuses and avoid the discussion. This highlights many people’s reluctance to talk about domestic violence,” Ms Gazzard said.
Representatives from the police, Moree Family Support and Miyay Birray helped on the day to talk about the issue and other topics such as sexting.
“The discussion provides a platform for students to ask questions of a range of support services, including police and solicitors, and problem-solve how the fictional events in the performance can be resolved in the real world. Even if they didn’t ask a question on the day, at least students know there are services out there for them,” Ms Gazzard said.
Greater Charitable Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Anne Long, emphasised the importance of the program in bringing light and understanding to real-life issues and the Foundation’s commitment to ensuring more schools are able to access this crucial learning tool.
“We are proud to support Tantrum Youth Arts and its focus on improving the life outcomes of young people in need, which is something that resonates with the core values of our Foundation,” Ms Long said.
“Having previously been performed to more than 2000 students across 30 schools in the Hunter-Central Coast region, we are excited that our support has enabled more schools across a larger catchment area the chance to access the program this year.”
Following a formal application process in 2017, Moree Secondary College was selected to join 18 other high schools across the state to participate in the program. Other schools in the region that will benefit from the program include Guyra Central School and Armidale High School.
For further information on the program please visit www.tantrum.org.au.