Stand Up Wairarapa

Each community has a different way of promoting White Ribbon. This year in the Wairarapa they are doing things differently. Rather than concentrating on an event, they’re focusing on challenging men to take the Pledge and have organised local men to make a series of adverts that encourage this activity.

Here’s the communication that explains what the Wairarapa community are doing.

Sunday 25 November is White Ribbon and this year’s theme is STAND UP.

The Family Violence Network has been raising awareness about White Ribbon here in the Wairarapa for at least 10 years.  So many of you have showed your support by wearing the White Ribbon,  walked a mile with your feet squished into 4inch heels and competed in running relays dragging tractor tyres!  Your support to raise awareness in the Wairarapa has been tremendous.

Quite often when raising awareness about White Ribbon, responses from people are spoken as if it’s “those people, not us”.  It is us.  Preventing men’s violence towards women is the responsibility of all of us.  We’re horrified when we hear of the statistics, it’s time we moved beyond raising awareness, it’s time to take Action to have real social impact in the Wairarapa.

This year we’re doing things a little differently …

We’ve decided we’re not hosting an event this year.  Instead, we are asking the men of the Wairarapa to take The Pledge and share using their social media to activate their networks of friends, colleagues and acquaintances by challenging them to take The Pledge and Stand Up, Speak out, and Act to prevent men’s violence towards women using the hashtags #respectfulrelationships and #standupwairarapa.

            #RespectfulRelationships     #StandUpWairarapa         

White Ribbon are asking men to ‘stand up’ by taking the online pledge and committing to take one or more actions.

The eight actions offer men choices – to listen, reflect, alter their behaviour, talk to others and disrupt negative behaviour – which build respectful behaviour that undermines violence.

Once they’ve chosen an action, they will receive an email linking them with a White Ribbon toolbox and a video with useful information on how to proceed and achieve their goal.

From the 12th of November a range of New Zealand organisations will be using their communication channels to promote the online pledge and actions to their customers and staff.

And you can too.  If your organisation chooses to Stand Up for White Ribbon and Respectful Relationships, the Violence Free Network have resources available for you to use in your workplace.  Resources include posters, tee shirts for champions, tattoos and wrist bands.  Email Ang Turipa or Jeremy Logan or call 06 377 0933.

We need good people, particularly the men of the Wairarapa to show other men what Respectful Relationships look like and to show our next generation of beautiful boys that Respect is the behaviour we use instead of violence.  Good men of Wairarapa, we know you’re out there.

Stand Up Wairarapa.

Click on the year for a quick blast from the past of our community raising awareness for White Ribbon.

White Ribbon Awareness Campaigns
2006 – White Ribbon March
2007 – White Ribbon March
2008 – Whakamoe patu, (Lay Your Arms to Rest)
2009 – White Ribbon Race
2010 – White Ribbon Ride and March
2011 – White Ribbon Relay
2012 – White Ribbon Ride and Relay
2013 – Are you man enough campaign
2014 – White Ribbon Ride and Louise Nicholas Book Signing
2015 – White Ribbon Walk a Mile in her Shoes
2016 – White Ribbon Ride and Walk a Mile in her Shoes
2017 – Men in Black Evening