Creation Narratives to Work with Family Violence
Polytech Institutions Whitireia New Zealand and Weltec are seeking interest to participate in a research study, which has been approved by the Ethics and Research Committee and undertaken by Apolonia Muldrock. The purpose of the work is to gather shared experiences of pacific clinicians who are using pűräkau (pacific creation narratives) in their work with family violence.
Participants needed include Pacific clinicians, social workers, ministers and community workers with between 2-10 years experience working in the family violence industry.
For more information, you can contact Apolonia.muldrock@whitireianz.ac.nz or 022 1323670, or Principal Supervisor Dr Stephanie Kelly on stephanie.kelly@weltec.ac.nz or Secondary Supervisor Mira Schutz on Mira.Schutz@whitireia.ac.nz
DOWNLOAD – Participant Information Sheet (PDF)
DOWNLOAD – Participant Consent Form (PDF)
MORE ABOUT APOLONIA MULDROCK
As a Pacific clinician for 25 years in Aotearoa, 22 years of which has been as a New Zealand-qualified and registered nurse in the community, Apolonia Muldrock has become exponentially aware of the machinery of such abuse and its social and cultural discourse within our communities that have evolved within a shared commonality of ‘collectivism’. From Aitutaki through her mother, and the village of Solosolo in Samoa through her father.
In March 2020 women’s organisations Breaking Silent Codes and Blur Projects, from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, planned to host a parallel event within the United Nations’ 64th Commission on the Status of Women in New York, USA.
Apolonia sees Breaking Silent Codes as an opportunity to de-colonise the neoliberal hegemonic western construct endured by First Nations Peoples globally, in an indigenous collectivist women gathering of sharing time and space, just as our tupuna (ancestors) in the Pacific have done for millennia.
It would have been the largest ever such delegation from the Australasian-Pacific region until the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted their plans. But the women remained in the US, continuing their goal to break the silent codes around sexual assault and family violence.
Despite the growing pandemic in the US shutting around all them, they succeeded by continuing to spread the message about breaking the silence regarding family violence where possible on the streets, parks and boardwalks of the Big Apple. For Fijian Vaciseua, it inspired her to be part of creating Fiji’s first ever women’s refuge.
Breaking the Silence is Produced by Knierim Productions. To view the full 8.42 minutes documentary CLICK HERE
http://www.breakingsilentcodes.com.au/#Apolonia%20Muldrock
Pasefika Proud Pathways for Change 2019-2023 Pacific families and communities are safe, resilient and enjoy wellbeing.
Click here for resources and links to available service providers.
Pasefika Proud is a social change movement – ‘by Pacific for Pacific’ – to boost wellbeing for Pacific families and transform attitudes, behaviours and norms that enable violence. Our name and strapline embody our strengths-based, community-led approach:
Pasefika Proud: Our Families, Our People, Our Responsibility