Newcastle Night Striders change the world, 16 days at a time!

A quick heads-up to our RAV supporters: the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence runs from November 25 to December 10 every year, so it’s on right now! In case you hadn’t heard of it, 16 Days is an international campaign, co-ordinated by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership. It’s about galvanising action to end all forms of gendered violence, and it’s the longest running campaign for women’s rights in the world.
The campaign relies on the activism of millions of individuals and thousands of organisations. RAV supporter, Mel Nunn, a member of the fabulous Newcastle Night Striders, spoke to us about their brilliant initiative – a 52km run, being held over the 16 days of the campaign.
“We chose the number 52 because, at the time we set the run up, it represented the 52 women who were killed violently in Australia that year,” she says. “Our main aim was to raise awareness of domestic and family violence but we’ve also been selling singlets and using the run’s entry fee to raise money for the Helen Maslen Scholarship, available through Newcastle University. It’s especially for students experiencing domestic violence, to help get them into a safer situation.”
Although it’s not confirmed yet, Mel tells us the Newcastle Night Striders are thinking about organising another run to coincide with ‘Reclaim the Night’ next year.
Let us know if you have any similar events coming up. We’d be happy to help you spread the word!