Sarah Kanowski

I think hope is just such an important thing because, like, the world that young people are growing up in is one where they feel like they're the problem all the time, but when they're given the opportunity to see themselves for who they really are as the opportunity for a future that's better for them...

They do show up.

Like I was up north, up north Queensland, delivering some sessions, some school sessions.

I was invited to the community to deliver sessions for four schools in that community and then a community conversation in the evening with the broader public.

And one of the lads sat in on a discussion.

He was probably in the year 11 or 12, year 12 conversation, I think.

After the conversation, he went home.

He grabbed his mate and he said, mate, you missed school today.

You missed out on seeing this guy.

Come back in the afternoon for this community event.

And so there's these two lads who were sitting outside the room at first and I was like, oh, okay, I should invite them in but I'll let it go.

I don't want to bother them.

And then as I started to talk, they walk in the room and they sit right in the middle of the room.

And if anyone's ever been to a domestic violence prevention event anywhere in the country, what you'll see in that room is largely a lot of women and largely a lot of women who've been in the industry for a very long time trying to support other women or you'll see survivors.

You do see some men, but they're few and far between.

You never see, rarely see, 17-year-old lads who've shown up without their parents.

who want to know more about this conversation.

And they just sat in the middle of the room and locked in.

And then afterwards, they waited until a few other people had come up and said hello and had a conversation.

And then they came up to me and said, hey, man, look, we really appreciate you being here and doing what you do.