Emerge Stories

Helen Ewing has long been an advocate for women. In fact, she has made a professional and volunteer career out of mentoring women. Her passion drew her to volunteer with Emerge a year ago and she has not looked back.

Lipstick and chocolate…the perfect coupling for many women and both had a central place in the Bags of Love handed out on Mother’s Day.

Emerge has welcomed the raft of financial support and measures outlined by the Victorian Government to support women stuck in violent relationships during lockdown.

The power of art to relieve anxiety or spark a conversation is central to Emerge’s arts therapy team’s philosophy.

Here at Emerge, we have welcomed some relaxation in the stay at home measures and look forward to the gradual easements.

There is no doubt that the start of 2020 has been tragic: nine women killed so far including the violent murders of Hannah Aaliyah, Laianah and Trey in Queensland; the bushfires which have left many homeless; and now the coronavirus. Against this backdrop, we recently celebrated International Women’s Day. This year the theme is Generation Equality, a call to action to join forces across generations, to create a world where every girl and woman ...

Designing healing spaces for women and children

When Zara* was about to evicted from her new home, she was at her wits’ end. One of her children had been put in hospital due to serious illness. As a casual employee, she was unable to work, and therefore be paid, as she juggled between looking after her other school-aged child and being at the hospital. Fortuitously Zara was linked to Emerge’s outreach services and told her case worker about her plight. “She had been told that if she did ...

Emerge has called for raft of measures to be introduced as part of its submission to the Victorian Government’s homelessness inquiry. It has set out seven priorities ranging from a public education campaign about homelessness and family violence to explain the link through to calling for an improved Safe at Home strategy so that women and children’s right to stay at home after family violence is viewed as the norm. Paula Westhead, Emerge ...

Carol Quayle is getting used to walking. She spends time walking in local parks and streets alongside women who are being assisted by Emerge. It is a good way for her to connect with women who need a listening ear. Carol has been volunteering for Emerge since early 2019 although she has supported the organisation for the past nine years as a member of the Mordialloc Rotary Club. “I was looking for something useful to do in a more practical ...