Walk The Talk 2019 Student Vox Pops - 2019 Awards

In 2019 Women’s Community Shelters launched their Walk the Talk education initiative in fifteen Sydney schools. A pioneering program building high school student’s awareness of domestic violence and women’s homelessness, Walk the Talk empowered students to support the local women and children in need by ‘adopting’ their local shelter. 2,300 Sydney students walked the talk in 2019.

After a year of incredible student led initiatives the most outstanding students were acknowledged at the inaugural Walk the Talk Awards on Wednesday 27th November at the AFL Giants Club in Sydney Olympic Park.

The students raised money through numerous fundraising activities, created welcome packs, handmade wooden toys for the shelters, grew vegetables, volunteered including landscaping the gardens and renovated a study space in one of the shelters, assisted at gala fundraisers and helped raise awareness in their local communities.

Education Officer Dannielle Miller (and CEO of Enlighten Education) says "The student finalists are absolutely inspirational, and I cannot tell you how emotional I get when I read their entries. What I am feeling is enormous pride that we have developed this life-changing program, huge hope that perhaps we can make a tangible difference and bring about generational change, and love - deep love for these passionate adolescents who are so deeply invested in walking the talk on domestic violence in their local communities.”

The 2019 Walk The Talk student winner was Ariana Levy from St Paul's Grammar School in Penrith.