NCPW 2011 MicroGrant recipients in the Northern Territory

To find out more about the recipients of MicroGrants in the Northern Territory, please find the information below. 

Barkly Region

Tennant Creek Child Protection Week

The Tennant Creek Child Protection Week Committee, consisting of representatives from a range of service providers in Tennant Creek will be running a week long program of activities for NCPW. This united community approach will see a number of activities undertaken during the week to encourage as many organisations, services, businesses and individuals to be involved in the following:

  • A Display and Information Stand will be set up in the local shopping centre on the busiest day offering information on local services, brochures about good parenting and issues related to child protection, members of the TCCPW Committee will be at the stall to talk and offer advice.
  • A Family Fun Day will take place at the Sports and Recreational Centre with speeches about child protection and child protection week, barbeque, drinks and information on services that can assist children. An Art Competition will be held during the week at schools and this will be displayed with prizes being awarded to artists.
  • During the Desert Harmony Festival in the lead up to NCPW, the committee will have a float in the town’s street parade encouraging everyone to ‘play your part to keep children safe’. The festival attracts hundreds of people from around the region to Tennant Creek.
  • A number of large banners will be made with primary students that will be displayed at all events and at public places throughout the week. Badges will also be made for community members to wear with child protection messages on them.
  • A closing ceremony will be held at the Local Footy Competition on the oval with a balloon release and a speech about NCPW. More than a hundred people attend the football from all over the Barkly region.

Safe Communities Day and After School Activities Week

The Elliot Safehouse & Barkly Shire Council will be conducting a range of activities in partnership with the Recreation Centre and Elliot School during the week for children, parents and the wider community focusing on safe families, safe children and safe communities. Children will be invited to paint ‘what safe is or means to them’ on t-shirts. The school will also be running a colouring/poster competition about ‘what it means to children to be safe’. A collage activity of a kangaroo with her joey will be used as a mascot for the week to encourage the community to think and talk about keeping children safe. Kangaroo badges will be made and distributed and the Recreation Centre will run games and activities around the ‘Kangaroo Theme’. It is expected that 80-100 children will attend with their families. 

Alice Springs and Central Desert Region

Play Your Part Family Fun Day

The Tangentyere Council Youth Activity Services will collaborate with other local organisations to celebrate strong, healthy, safe and vibrant families on Wednesday 7th September. The Family Fun Day will involve parents, uncles, aunties, grandparents, children and cousins to ‘Play their Part’ in leading activities for families. Activities include family portraits, art and craft activities, music activities, social sporting activities, games, books, face painting and a community kitchen. The event will also give family members an opportunity to connect with staff and services from the Family and Youth Services.

Hidden Valley - Communities working together to keep children safe

Targeted Family Support Service (TFSS), Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC), Hidden Valley Community Centre and Tangentyere Council have been researching the impact of violence on children and will use NCPW as an opportunity to bring the community together to highlight the important message to ‘play your part to keep children safe’. During a weekly group session at Hidden Valley, a phrase and picture will be designed in Eastern Arrentre language to promote child protection. A community day will be held with a range of activities including printing t-shirts with the completed design, taking family portraits, decorating photo frames and the painting of a large canvas as a community to capture the same message as the t-shirt design. The canvas will be stretched and hung at the community centre as a proud reminder of the communities commitment to make child protection everyone’s business. Children-specific activities and a nutritional barbeque will also be part of the community day.

Darwin Region

All children deserve safety; immigration detention needs to be a safe place for children  

The Darwin Asylum Seekers Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN) will work with children in detention and children in the greater Darwin community to design t-shirts on issues facing children in immigration detention. The winning t-shirts will be printed and launched at public community event ‘Families for Families’ with food and music, outside the Darwin Airport Lodge where children are currently detained, on September 25th.

Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Bagot Activities and BBQ

The Australian Red Cross will be hosting a BBQ Dinner at Bagot Community accompanied by facilitated discussion about strengths and safety for children. Children will prepare some items such as fruit salads and fritters from the Bagot Edible Garden. The BBQ will involve approximately 15-20 young people regularly involved in the Red Cross E-Cruz program, 20 parents and 20 other community members such as grandparents and carers.

Child Abuse Prevention Awareness World Cafe

The Australian Red Cross will be hosting an afternoon session for all staff and volunteers to raise awareness about child protection and promote child abuse prevention. The event will take place in Darwin and 50-100 attendees are expected. This initiative will see five round tables set up with specialists to facilitate discussion at each table and participants will circle through the tables. A presentation on the cumulated discussion about how participants can strategise around child abuse prevention will be held at the end of the event.

A Family Picnic and Afternoon of Fun Art and Games

The NT Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation will host an event at Malak Community Centre to raise awareness of child safety issues in our community. This initiative will invite Elders and families to get together in a supportive and fun environment to paint art work for each child to hang in their homes. The afternoon expects participation from 50-60 people and will see the painting of small banners of children's feet and hands to highlight the protection of children.

Family Sport Day for Children in Care

Foster Care NT, in partnership with CREATE will host a Family Bonding Olympics in Darwin. The initiative will support carers to share and extend their knowledge of recognising stress, listening and observing, communication. The event will include sports activities, lunch and handouts for participants.

Enable Children to Play in Community Spaces and Places 

Charles Darwin University (CDU) will begin an eight week excursion playgroup program for children under five and their and families in immigration detention during NCPW. The initiative will see CDU Early Childhood educators working together with immigration detention management and staff to provide opportunities for play and interaction with natural environments in community settings. CDU Early Childhood staff and students will facilitate activities at the playgroups to enrich these experiences.

Victoria Daly Region

Open Day at Women's Centre

The Palngun Wurnangat Association will hold an Open Day during NCPW as part of a week of child focussed activities in Wadeye. The Open Day will compliment the Strong Mothers, Strong Babies, Strong Culture Program at the Women’s Centre and activities will include: face painting, story-time and children's cooperative play games. Children will be given age-appropriate children's books for parents to read with them and healthy food will be prepared and shared. This day will be part of a week of events which also includes excursions through the Childcare centre, Save the Children activities and training about Mandatory Reporting.

Territory Wide

UN Rights of the Child Poster

Early Childhood Australia (ECA) will organise for posters of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in child friendly language to be printed and distributed to all Children’s Services in the NT. This initiative aims to benefit the majority of children and families throughout the NT by giving all children and adults a greater understanding of the rights of children. ECA will arrange for the posters to be mailed or hand-delivered to services and will contact services to ensure they have received this valuable resource. The delivery of these posters will help children to grow up in safe and happy environments and communities.