We are looking for 6 volunteers for this event.
Date: September 2nd
Venue: Burrinja Cultural Centre, Upwey
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
In a world that so often asks women to hold so much, family, work, community, advocacy, and care, we rarely make time to talk about the space between.
The space where we pause, breathe, reflect. Where we look after ourselves while we’re looking after everyone else. Where we can be honest about how heavy it can feel, and how we keep going anyway.
What keeps us going? is a real conversation with women who have walked the hardest roads and still find ways to hold themselves and others. Some have shared their stories as survivors. Others have worked behind the scenes to make systems fairer and kinder. All of them bring wisdom that speaks to the heart of what it means to care, persist, and still find space for yourself.
We are honoured to share that Rosie Batty AO, Dr Janine Mohamed and Tanja Kovac will be joining us for this event. This event is not about reliving the past, but rather, acknowledging that these events have shaped our path. They are the force that keeps us going, all while holding multiple roles of care: for communities, families, work, causes, and importantly, for ourselves.
We’re inviting you to join us not just for the conversation, but for the sense of connection and care we hope to create in the room. A moment to exhale, be connected, and be reminded that you’re not alone in the juggle.
What’s Involved
We’re looking for 6 volunteers to help us with the following:
setting up
registration table
helping people find their table
wait or serving staff
roaming microphone
-
Rosie is the 2015 Australian of the year. Her credentials include:
The Pride of Australia National Courage Medal
Inductee to the Victorian Honour Roll for Women and
Named by Fortune Magazine as one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders.
Rosie has also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast for her contribution to raising national awareness and action concerning Family Violence and an Order of Australia in 2019.
She is proud to be a Patron for the Australian Childhood Foundation and Doncare Community Services, and is a board director for the Royal Women’s Hospital.
-
Tanja is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gender Lens Australia, a gender equality change consultancy, which she established with her long term feminist collaborator and good mate, Dr Maree Overall.
She has over twenty years as a gender equity change specialist, bringing together disciplines of law and justice, political campaigning & gender data visualisation for equality and social change.
A trained lawyer, Tanja commenced work in public interest & human rights litigation, where she assisted survivors of police misconduct & family violence, acted for Amnesty International in the case concerning refugees aboard the MV Tampa and victims of the Black Saturday Bushfires.
Tanja is a former CEO of Gender Equity Victoria and served as Chief of Staff to the late Fiona Richardson MP, Australia’s first Family Violence Prevention Minister, where she was responsible for overseeing Victoria’s strategic family violence prevention and gender equality agenda, including creating the Victoria’s first Gender Equality Strategy.
She also spent 10 years as Director and National-Convenor of EMILY’s List Australia, (where she met Maree) and was instrumental in developing gender based campaign strategies, establishing the Julia Gillard Next Generation Internship for young women leaders, as well as advocating for policy change, including setting an affirmative action target for women - 50/50 by 2025. Tanja co-authored Measure for Measure: Gender Equality in Australia, for think tank Per Capita, where she is a Senior Fellow, calling for a life-course approach to national gender transformation, aligned to rigorous reporting against targets and measures.
About Gender Lens Australia
Gender Lens Australia is a social impact consultancy supporting business, government and the community sector with transformation for gender equality. GLA works with leaders to apply a gender lens to organisations, projects and complex problems to deliver unique, thoughtful solutions.
GLA offers a range of tailored services to gender equality leaders in research, crisis management, organisational change and training and development. Our mentoring and support for senior gender equality executives, activists and board members is highly sought after.
For more info check out www.genderlensaustralia.com.au
-
Adjunct Professor Janine Mohamed is a proud Narrunga Kaurna woman from South Australia, now based on Ngunnawal Country. She is the Deputy CEO of First Nations at the NDIA and formerly served as CEO of the Lowitja Institute, Australia’s only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health research institute.
With over 30 years of experience in nursing, health policy, and leadership, Janine has worked across state, national, and international levels, including roles at AHCSA, NACCHO, and as CEO of CATSINaM. She is a strong advocate for cultural safety and anti-racism in health systems and co-authored the 2024 discussion paper Cultural Safety in Australia.
Janine has held numerous board roles and received multiple accolades, including the ACT NAIDOC Award, an Atlantic Fellowship, and a Doctor of Nursing honoris causa. In 2024, she was named Australian of the Year for Victoria and continues to be a leading voice on Indigenous health and equity”.
