Latest grants open for truth, healing and reconciliation

Published Thursday, 04 February, 2021 at 03:00 PM

Minister for Children and Youth Justice and Minister for Multicultural Affairs
The Honourable Leanne Linard

Queenslanders are encouraged to apply for up to $10,000 in grants as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s Truth, Healing and Reconciliation grants program.

Minister for Children Leanne Linard said the grants, which opened today, were running for the second time and aimed to support communities to deliver activities that contributed to truth, healing and reconciliation of people with a lived experience of institutional child abuse.

“The grants program is part of the government’s implementation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse,” she said.

“In 2019 the Palaszczuk Government asked people to tell us what truth, healing and reconciliation means to them.

“From this we heard that the need for people with lived experience to speak out about the truth of their experiences is as strong as ever and we heard from them the pain and distress of being silenced and denied justice continues.

“With the next round of grants, we will continue these conversations across Queensland by supporting individuals and organisations in activities that are meaningful to them.”

Ms Linard said the grants program was about recognising the profound harm caused by institutional child abuse.  

“We need to continue to address institutional child abuse and the impact it has had on too many Queenslanders,” she said.

“These activities promote the cultural change our society needs – showing us how we can better respond to people with lived experience as well as protecting children today.”

Ms Linard said funding was available for activities that partnered with people with a lived experience and recognised truth, healing and reconciliation as an ongoing process.  

“Activities need to be survivor-focused by placing people with a lived experience at the centre of the activity,” she said.

“They also must raise awareness of institutional child abuse and its impact.”

Grants of up to $10,000 are available for individual organisations and funds of up to $15,000 available for joint applications.

People with lived experience are encouraged to apply and will need to be supported by an eligible organisation.

For more information on the grants, which close on Wednesday 14 April 2021, visit https://www.csyw.qld.gov.au/about-us/funding-grants/funding-available

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