Turn it Orange Festival
Congratulations to all those involved in today’s Turn It Orange Festival in Cowes, celebrating gender equality. The crowd was big, the weather was perfect, and the message was loud and clear
The community turned out in force to support the Turn it Orange festival last weekend.
The festival to encourage gender equality was organised by the Change for Sam group as part of their family violence preventative initiatives. Project Coordinator Pam Parker said they were thrilled with the attendance.
“It was such a positive day and we got really good feedback,” Pam said.
“It was promoting having difficult conversations in a positive and fun way.”
Pam said there was a constant stream of people at the stalls and activities, with lots of different age groups and plenty of passers-by joining in.
“One person told me she went to Coles to get some milk, then ended up staying at the festival for two hours!”
One activity at the festival allowed people to write how they felt and what they’d taken away from the festival.
“There were some very heartfelt messages on there, people saying they were glad these issues are being talked about.”
The festival was held during the international 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, which every year runs from November 25 to December 10.
“Thousands of organisations, businesses, communities and individuals across the globe come together during the 16 days to show their commitment to raising awareness and calling for the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence,” Pam said.
Events continue across the week and many local community groups and organisations are working to increase awareness of the issue.
