Movers, Shakers & Changemakers: April

So it’s that time again; time for April’s Movers, Shakers and Changemakers- we’re highlighting our favourite enterprises in the social and environmental sector. These are businesses that are doing good in their communities.

Over the past month we’ve had a couple of events that brought these enterprises to our attention. International Women’s Day saw us discover the beautiful her words, we saw Biofilta speak at the LAUNCHFood forum in San Francisco last week and we met YWCA Victoria when they pitched to the Macquarie Bank Kickstarter Panel that we sat on.

Read on to hear the stories of these amazing ventures doing great things in the space.

 

YMCA Victoria

YWCA Victoria has been supporting women and girls in Victoria since 1882. Part of the global YWCA, which engages with 25 million women and girls worldwide, the not-for-profit works to mentor, empower and engage women in their communities.

The organisation are also of course staunch advocates for women’s rights across Victoria and are powerful voices in the equality struggle and debate.

YWCA provide housing opportunities for women at risk of homelessness, victims of domestic violence, those who face discrimination or have a disability. They also run mentoring programs, self-esteem workshops and one-on-one advisory sessions.

 

“I joined the YWCA because I was interested in learning more about how women are trying to achieve gender equality and female empowerment in Australia. The YWCA is a great platform for females or anyone of any gender to voice their opinions and get the opportunity to create positive change in their community”.

– Ibtisam Shahbaz, YWCA Victoria Member

 

YWCA Victoria are now in the process of starting a Women in Trades enterprise. They’re determined to get more women into trades, and create a platform for people to source female tradies. This is particularly important for women who are survivors of domestic violence or elderly women living alone who may not feel comfortable with a male tradie in their home. We love this initiative, find out more about it here.

 

her words

her words was born from the fact that women make up 51% of Australia’s population, and yet we are seriously underrepresented in the media, meaning that crucial stories from our perspective are not being told. her story is a media platform where women discuss, in video interviews, different topics and share their stories.

The platform’s mantra is ‘courage through connection, change through conversation’ and their mission is to ensure every woman knows their words matter. It was only fitting that this platform launched on International Women’s Day!

 

“We want to provide a space for women from all backgrounds to safely talk about their experiences, so that they feel connected, powerful and significant.”

— Domini Marshall, her words Founder

 

The latest series from her words looks at Self-Love and how women can best practise the act. The series speaks to Melbourne artist Francis Cannon, filmmaker Brigid Canny, performance poet and actress Tariro Movondo and disability advocate Michelle Roger.

Watch the beautiful series here.

 

Biofilta

We discovered Biolfita at the LAUNCHFood Forum in San Francisco last week. They’re seeking to solve the urban food issue through innovative design and products that catch usable stormwater and make urban farming more efficient.

Their ‘Foodwall’ is a modular, low-maintenance, food planter and allows for easy growing, cultivating are harvesting of food in urban environments. This initiative helps to reduce food miles, improve the quality of food and engage communities with the food growing process.

Discover more about them here.

 

“Urban Food Production is a key part of our future sustainability, social connection and food security”

— Biofilta

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