When almost everything designed to help children affected by domestic and family violence is built by adults, for adults, what does support look like through a child's eyes?

Ruby Allen knows, because she lived it. At 19, she's the founder of Kids of Purple, a youth-led initiative she started as a Year 10 school assignment, a place where kids affected by family violence can see their experience recognised in their own language and find help that actually makes sense to them. She's the Gold Coast Young Australian of the Year, a law student, and she's already shaping how organisations like Brisbane Catholic Education, the Queensland Department of Housing and the Queensland Victims Commissioner think about what children need.

In this episode, Ruby and Kirrily get into why "call a helpline" doesn't work for many kids, the shame children carry and what it does to their sense of who they are, how to have a clear, honest conversation with the young people in your life about what's okay and what isn't, and why young people need to be co-designing the solutions built for them.

If anything in this episode feels close to home, 1800RESPECT is there any time, day or night, 1800 737 732.

For more resources and information on our events and programs, head to runagainstviolence.com.

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This podcast was recorded on Gadigal and Wiradjuri land.

CREDITS: 

Host & Producer: Kirrily Dear

Executive Producer & Supervising Editor: Pariya Taherzadeh

Audio Editor: Graham Hunter

The Run Against Violence podcast is independently funded by the Broken Hill to Sydney Team Chase. Every entry and every piece of merch powers the movement to eliminate family violence from our communities.