Introducing: The Courage Club hosted by Emily Writes A podcast for brave chats about our kids, disability and sexual safety
It’s hard to talk about. But evidence* indicates that disabled children are most at risk of sexual harm here in Aotearoa, and with a lack of specialist support or resources, whānau need to feel better equipped to keep their children safe.
As part of a project funded by ACC, HELP Auckland and Rape Prevention Education have worked with creative agency Curative, to provide some support to whānau of disabled children, resulting in the creation of a very special podcast called The Courage Club.
Hosted by mum, activist and author Emily Writes, and featuring parents of disabled children, the podcast creates a space to begin the tough conversations, where parents can courageously talk about the hard stuff; and find ways to keep our Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent children safe when it comes to preventing child sexual abuse.
Kathryn McPhillips, Executive Director of HELP Auckland, says that often the needs of disabled communities are overlooked because they seem too complex to respond to, but we need to do more to protect our kids from harm. “No two disabled children will have the same needs or the same experiences, and that can make it difficult to design solutions that universally meet everyone's needs.”
“That’s why we created the Courage Club. We heard that parents want to keep their kids safe, but the subject feels scary and they don’t know where to begin. We know that having open conversations about sexual safety is a huge protective factor for our kids. The podcast really helps to shine a light on the collective knowledge and wisdom that the community already holds, and encourages the brave conversations we need to be having to help keep our kids safe.”
“We also hope that by bringing this conversation into the light, we can show just how great the need is for better funding, services and support for families with disabilities,” says Kathryn.
The Courage Club host Emily Writes, says that she hopes that The Courage Club will be the first step towards brave, bold, powerful conversations that make our homes and communities safer for our precious tamariki.
“This mahi is all about coming together and doing what we can as parents, carers and people who love the tamariki in our lives to protect them as much as we can. And there is nothing more important than that,” says Emily.
The Courage Club podcast and supporting resources are available now at courageclub.co.nz and on leading podcast platforms including Spotify, Youtube and Apple Podcasts.
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*Sexual violence prevention initiatives for disabled people in New Zealand: Literature review, stocktake and assessment (Moore et al, 2022)
Credits:
The Courage Club
Host: Emily Writes
Parents: Kiki van Newton, Lina Beech, Angela Walter
Advisors: Kate Mortimer, Disability Advisor at HELP Auckland and Olivia Bloom, Clinical Operations Manager at Family Action
HELP Auckland
Executive Director: Kathryn McPhillips
Disability Advisor: Kate Mortimer
Rape Prevention Education (RPE)
Executive Director: Debbi Tohill
Programme Development Lead: Lesley-Ann Guild
Curative
Managing Director: Eddy Royal
Strategic Planners: Pippa van Paauwe and Aych McArdle
Director: Kate Prior
Design Director: Kaan Hiini
Designer: Jono Cole and Lauren Wepa
Producer: Georgia Hoskins-Smith
Project Manager: Melanie Harries