Banksia Gardens Community Services (Banksia) is a vibrant community service organisation, neighbourhood house and registered charity located in the heart of Broadmeadows in Melbourne’s north.  With a vision to transform lives, strengthen communities, and reduce disadvantage, Banksia delivers 65 programs to assist over 80,000 people annually. Its programs focus on early childhood, education and training, gender equity, young people, environmental sustainability, and community participation and advocacy. 

The Good People Act Now (GPAN) initiative is a youth-led action group that works to promote gender equality and prevent gender-based violence in Hume City and its surrounding areas. GPAN is Banksia’s flagship Gender Equity project and was established in 2014 to address the increasingly high rates of gender-based and family violence, particularly experienced by service users of Banksia. Since its inception in 2014, GPAN has worked with passionate local young people aged 16-28 who want to take a stand against disrespect, inequality and violence but lack the tools to do so. GPAN provides a safe and inclusive space for young people to learn about these issues and develop the confidence to be an active bystander.

GPAN’s vision is an Australia free from violence, where people are treated equally regardless of gender. GPAN aims for generational change that will create a more respectful and cohesive society where harmful attitudes and behaviours are called out, and consequently, across communities.

The success of the GPAN project is due to the high level of collaboration between Banksia, local young people, and key external organisations, including Women’s Health in the North and Berry Street, who are part of the GPAN Steering Committee. Equally important, the project’s strength lies in being authentically youth-led, ensuring that young people are at the centre of decision-making, design, and delivery.

In collaboration with local healthcare provider DPV Health and the Victorian Government Department of Education, GPAN and its young people led the development of the ‘Change Starts With You’ resource, which is now widely used in schools and community settings. This important practical publication has filled a gap in education for young people, presenting the issues and the main outcome that GPAN seeks in a style and language accessible to young people around Australia.

To date, GPAN has trained over 350 local young people through annual training and thousands more through bespoke workshops in workplaces, community organisations, and local secondary schools.  

“GPAN training is integral to educating young people, who are often proponents of change, about not only the problem of gender inequity, but the solutions in order to make a meaningful difference in the world”, Chloe, GPAN Youth Action Group member.

For more information about Good People Act Now, visit https://www.goodpeopleactnow.org.au/.

For more information about Banksia Gardens Community Services, visit https://banksiagardens.org.au/.