The first Free2b Girls group was founded in 2017 in St Helens on the East Coast of Tasmania. Today, there are five groups running across the island’s North East, all of which are run and supported by their local community.
Tani Langoulant started the program after moving to St Helens and seeing the great need for young women in the community to have a safe place, outside of home and school, where they can connect in and find support on a weekly basis. The intention of the group is to create a space for girls where they can feel a sense of place, a degree of ownership of a space, and where they can exercise their freedom, choice and creativity within the boundaries of safety, tolerance and respect. Our group sessions are run after school times between 3:00pm - 4:30pm in a community venue.
St Helens
Our oldest Free2b Group in St Helens, has received support from various sources over the past 2 yrs including High Ways and Byways, the St Marys/St Helens Community Branch of the Bendigo Bank and the BOD council. This support helps the girls achieve and expand upon an amazing list of things they dream of doing...So far, the St Helens group has been to Nature World, participated in a Tye Dye workshop, done yoga, held a High Tea event with the elderly residents from Medea Park, been to SWIMS cafe in Scamander and learnt how to make coffees, had fish and chips on the local foreshore and held a market stall selling their arts and crafts creations. Their list of ideas is constantly growing and changing as the girls grow and change and they never seem to get used to the idea that there are members of the community supporting them.
It always comes as a surprise when there is money for them to do things, and they are extremely grateful and careful about how the money received is spent.
Beaconsfield
After only 4 months of running, the Beaconsfield Free2b girls are already turning their ideas into reality. They've been sewing up cloth bags to make emergency packs for girls - with all the essentials like lip balms, deodorant, bandaids and happy notes.
The Beaconsfield Neighbourhood House is fully supportive of assisting the group with their visions and the facilitators are keen to start connecting in with the broader community, especially as the girls enter high school next year.
Trips to Launceston, cafe visits, engagement with artists and local businesses are all part of the bigger picture and with up to 18 girls in this group, they'd love more volunteers, a bit of extra funding and, like all Free2b groups, a bus to cart girls everywhere!
Beaconsfield facilitator - hannah@beaconsfieldhouse.org.au
Longford
Northern Midlands Council run the Longford Free2b Girls and are always assisting and supporting the girls (aged 10 -12) with the projects they come up with.
Trees have been approved by council for yarn bombing, Council's provided venues for art exhibitions, helped gather sponsorship from the Commonwealth Bank and Rotary Club and are always advocating for the local community to step up and engage with the vibrancy created by the Longford girls.
Ongoing funding will be needed over the next few years to enable the group to keep growing and adapting to the ever changing needs of the girls as they enter high school. The group dynamic will be changing into bean bag land, after school hot chocolates in the local cafe and a need to go on a few adventures and excursions into the wider world.
Campbell Town
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