Funding kicks off healing and reconciliation for 2022

Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs The Honourable Leanne Linard

Five Queensland organisations are sharing in $50,000 in funding that will be used to help raise awareness of institutional child abuse.

The funded organisations will host activities that capture stories of healing, truth-telling, and reconciliation.

Minister for Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs Leanne Linard said the grants will fund a wide and interesting range of activities from publishing a book, creating a memorial garden and art therapy.

“I would like to congratulate the successful organisations and I look forward to seeing the activities and events the programs deliver,” she said.

“This grants program is helping to reveal the truth of what happened to Queenslanders who experienced institutional child abuse and work towards healing and reconciliation.

“The organisations delivering these five diverse projects are using the funding to listen to and acknowledge the stories of the many Queenslanders who live with this pain every day.”

“We know how important it is to raise awareness of the impacts of child abuse. These initiatives drive change and provide support, justice and healing for people with lived experience of such abuse.”

The successful recipient’s for the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation grants program include:

  • The Queensland Writers Centre who will publish a book called ‘Remembering Nazareth House’. It will be written by well-known child protection resource author Tess Rowley and includes stories from people with lived experiences of institutional child abuse.
  • Micah Projects, in partnership with Global Community Resourcing and the Forde Foundation, will host a roundtable discussion on aged and community care services for Forgotten Australian’s and the impact on aged care facilities.
  • The Uniting Church will establish a memorial garden and commission a plaque located on the grounds of the Uniting Church of Australia Queensland Synod.
  • The Centre Against Sexual Violence will host art therapy workshops across the Greater Brisbane region for people with a lived experience of abuse.
  • Yourtown will establish a Youth Advisory Group for young people aged 18-25 with a lived experience of out-of-home care which will help shape the organisation’s response to institutional child abuse.

/Public Release. View in full here.