GenWest

GenWest GenWest is a family violence support service. We support communities to lead safe and healthy lives, by running social and health education programs.

We support people based in Melbourne’s west.

After the whirlwind of Women Deliver 2026, we were honoured to host a post-conference gathering with our GenWest scholar...
21/05/2026

After the whirlwind of Women Deliver 2026, we were honoured to host a post-conference gathering with our GenWest scholarship recipients. It was a space to breathe, debrief, and translate the energy of a global movement into local action for Melbourne’s west.

The consensus in the group was clear: opened our hearts and minds. In a world that often feels fractured, our recipients spoke of the profound sense of belonging in a truly inclusive movement, where being a person of colour, non-binary, or trans wasn’t just 'accepted' but celebrated. We all felt seen. We all felt heard.

However, we didn't shy away from the weight of the world. We discussed the heavy realities we face as a collective: increasing rates of family violence, the rise of the "Manosphere" and anti-rights movements, bodily autonomy and reproductive justice, the climate crisis, and the responsibility we hold to protect the next seven generations, guided by Indigenous wisdom of long-term stewardship and care.

Women Deliver offered us enrichment and solidarity - alongside overwhelm and questions about how to enact global learnings in Melbourne's west. As a collective, we harnessed our overwhelm with a focused discussion on our 'Circle of Control', asking the question - What can we do right now, in our own communities? Read through the slides to see six powerful visions for a Melbourne’s west shared by the scholarship recipients.
Women Deliver offered us enrichment and solidarity - alongside overwhelm and questions about how to enact global learnings in Melbourne's west. As a collective, we harnessed our overwhelm with a focused discussion on our 'Circle of Control', asking the question - What can we do right now, in our own communities? Read through the slides to see six powerful visions for Melbourne’s west shared by the scholarship recipients.

The conversation is far from over. We left the session reminded that we hold immense collective wisdom. Together, we are building a more connected, safe, and thriving community.

Thank you to our incredible scholars, our commitment to you and our collective work towards gender equality doesn't end here.

Sign up for one of our sessions on Body safety: Keeping young children safe in community.These sessions support families...
19/05/2026

Sign up for one of our sessions on Body safety: Keeping young children safe in community.

These sessions support families to learn practical ways to keep children safe at home, in childcare, at school, and in the community. It has been created for parents and carers of children under 5 years old, but it will also be helpful for anyone who plays a role in caring for children.

We understand that raising children can look different in every culture. This workshop respects your values and builds on the strengths of your family and community.

In this session, you will learn:
🗨 How to talk with your children about bodies, respect, and safety.
❓ The right questions to ask at childcare.
🤝 Who can help if you need support.
📝 Simple steps to help your children grow up safe in Australia, while building on the strengths of your family and community.

The session will be delivered in partnership with Body Safety Australia. Body Safety Australia is a trusted organisation that supports families, schools, and communities to help children grow up safe and respected.

Limited spots available.

Childcare is available for the in-person session - let us know when you register.

To read more and register, click the link in our bio or visit our website at genwest.org.au/news-and-events/body-safety-sessions-2026

Sign up for one of our sessions on Body safety: Keeping young children safe in community. These sessions support familie...
13/05/2026

Sign up for one of our sessions on Body safety: Keeping young children safe in community.

These sessions support families to learn practical ways to keep children safe at home, in childcare, at school, and in the community. It has been created for parents and carers of children under 5 but it will also be helpful for anyone who plays a role in caring for children.

We understand that raising children can look different in every culture. This workshop respects your values and builds on the strengths of your family and community.

In this session, you will learn:
🗨 How to talk with your children about bodies, respect, and safety.
❓The right questions to ask at childcare.
🤝Who can help if you need support.
📝Simple steps to help your children grow up safe in Australia, while building on the strengths of your family and community.

The session will be delivered in partnership with Body Safety Australia. Body Safety Australia is a trusted organisation that supports families, schools, and communities to help children grow up safe and respected.

Childcare is available - let us know when you register.

Limited spots available.
To book visit https://genwest.org.au/news-and-events/body-safety-sessions-2026/
Or contact GenWest SRH Health Coordinator, Alice Borthwick-Peters, at [email protected].
Or call GenWest on 1800 436 937 and ask to speak to Alice.

11 May 2026 is Are You Safe at Home Day.This May, start the conversation. Anyone can experience family violence. And any...
10/05/2026

11 May 2026 is Are You Safe at Home Day.

This May, start the conversation. Anyone can experience family violence. And anyone can help end it.

We all deserve to be safe, respected and valued in all our relationships. But sadly, family violence is more common than we realise.

Because abuse often happens out of sight, it's often the people closest to a person - their friends, family, neighbours or colleagues - who are the first to notice something is wrong.

If you're worried about someone you know, it can be hard to know what to do. But trust your gut. If something feels wrong, chances are you're right.

You don't need to be an expert to help end family violence. By just asking, listening and believing, you can make an enormous impact.

Are You Safe at Home is an initiative of Safe and Equal.

National Family Violence Rememberance Day 2026 Today and everyday we remember those lost to family and gender-based viol...
06/05/2026

National Family Violence Rememberance Day 2026
Today and everyday we remember those lost to family and gender-based violence, those who survived, and the communities who still carry that grief. Every life lost was someone deeply loved and their absence is felt every day.

Family and gender-based violence is preventable. And prevention requires courage from our leaders, our systems, and each of us - the cost of not taking action is measured in lives. Today, we honour those no longer here by demanding change to prevent this violence at every social level - in our systems, our organisations, our communities and our families.

So many inspiring women and stories at Women Deliver 2026 💓Picture 1: Mai Nguyen, Wennie van Riet, Dale Wakefield, Musar...
28/04/2026

So many inspiring women and stories at Women Deliver 2026 💓

Picture 1: Mai Nguyen, Wennie van Riet, Dale Wakefield, Musarrat Saiyed, Yi Zhu, and Mehak Sheikh.
Picture 2: Audrey Umuti and Wennie van Riet at the pre-conference on Climate Justice.

GenWest is proud to be co-hosting a concurrent session at Women Deliver, in partnership with SSI - Settlement Services I...
15/04/2026

GenWest is proud to be co-hosting a concurrent session at Women Deliver, in partnership with SSI - Settlement Services International and The Sisterhood.

Together, we will explore community-led disruption of sexual and gender-based violence looking at how dispossession, migration, and structural inequality shape harm, and how communities are already leading responses that challenge these systems. The session will move from structural conditions, to lived leadership, and ultimately to what it takes to shift power towards community-led models.

Shweta Kawatra Dakin from GenWest and Nimo Ahmed from The Sisterhood will bring perspectives from Australia and Indonesia, rooted in lived experience and collective leadership. Their conversation draws on a longstanding relationship that began when The Sisterhood was founded on International Women's Day in 2018, with Shweta joining as a supporter, advisor and ally from its inception.

If you’re at Women Deliver 2026, we invite you to join us.

GenWest's Victim Survivor Advisory Group creates space for lived experience to guide change. For Joal, joining the group...
02/04/2026

GenWest's Victim Survivor Advisory Group creates space for lived experience to guide change. For Joal, joining the group has been both personally and professionally transformative - turning painful past experiences into purpose, advocacy, and a powerful commitment to shaping better outcomes for others affected by violence.

Thank you, Joal, for your generosity and wisdom, we deeply admire the heart you bring to this work. You can find Joal's story along with other Survivor reflections in our 2024-25 Annual Report, here: genwest.org.au/resources/annual-report-2024-25/

Today is International Trans Day of Visibility, a global celebration of trans pride and a moment to honour the lives and...
30/03/2026

Today is International Trans Day of Visibility, a global celebration of trans pride and a moment to honour the lives and resilience of trans and gender diverse people everywhere.

This year, we're highlighting the work of our sibling organisations, and WHIN - Women's Health in the North, and their recently released Allyship in Action Framework. As they remind us, gender is intertwined with race, class and power. Transphobia, transmisogyny and racism all have roots in colonial ideas about whose bodies and identities were 'acceptable.'

Trans and gender diverse people deserve safety, dignity, and the right to live authentically. That means being afforded basic human rights - this includes access to affirming healthcare, protection from discrimination, and freedom from violence.

GenWest stands in solidarity with trans communities across Melbourne's west. Now more than ever, we are committed to speaking up against transphobia and advocating for a future where everyone is free to be who they are, safe and respected.

🏳️‍⚧️

Image descriptions:
Slide 1: Light pink background with an illustrated transgender pride flag. Text reads: "International Trans Day of Visibility. 31 March."
Slide 2: White background with colourful geometric shapes. Text reads: "This International Trans Day of Visibility, we want to shine a light on the incredible work of our sibling organisations, Zoe Belle Gender Collective and Women's Health in the North. The following quotes are from their recently released Allyship in Action…"
Slide 3: Dark pink background with geometric shapes. Text reads: "Transphobia, transmisogyny and racism…all come from colonial ideas that decided whose bodies and identities were 'acceptable'…"
Slide 4: Blue/purple background with geometric shapes and a white circle. Text reads: "…Gender is intertwined with race, class and power…we cannot tackle these issues alone." — Zoe Belle Gender Collective & Women's Health in the North, Allyship in Action (2026).

Address

Wurundjeri Country, 317-319 Barkly Street
Footscray, VIC
3011

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+611800436937

Website

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