EXTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH PROJECTS
A community mobilisation program to prevent violence against women in metropolitan Melbourne: A qualitative evaluation of first-year implementation
Background
Primary prevention approaches such as community mobilisation (CM) prevent gender-based violence (GBV) through program activities that mobilise communities to take action against the gendered drivers that underpin GBV. CM is a promising prevention approach and program workers have been identified as key catalysts to mobilising change. However, little is known about the experiences of program workers or the implementation of CM approaches in Australian metropolitan settings. Taking Action in our Community (TAC) is a CM program that supports neighbourhood and community house settings across one region of metropolitan Melbourne to promote gender equity and mobilise community action on GBV.
Aim
This qualitative descriptive study explores the enablers and barriers to the supportive capacity of program workers (from community house settings) who design and facilitate CM activities. The current study aims to answer the following questions:
1. What enables CM program workers to support those in the community to take action?
2. What barriers do CM program workers experience in their role supporting community members to take action?
Methods
This project is a qualitative evaluation. Program workers (paid employees or volunteers) who were involved in the TAC program were purposefully sampled to participate as informants. Consenting informants participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews over the phone. Interviews were audio-recorded and then transcribed. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.
Ethics approval for this study was received from Deakin University’s Human Ethics Advisory Group – Health (HEAG-H128_2019).