Bravehearts Inc: Past and Present

Our History Hetty Johnston founded White Balloon Day in Brisbane during Child Protection Week, September 1997. White Balloon Day was created in response to the revelation that a family member was a paedophile. A brave disclosure by a 7 year old led to the realisation that this much loved family elder had preyed on innocent children and their trusting parents for 40 years. Compounding this tragedy was the fact that this 40 year reign of terror had never been disclosed, let alone reported. With the support of her family, Hetty decided that the time had come to lift the cone of silence that has, for too long, aided and abetted the assault and torture of our most vulnerable members of society, our children. The search was on for a symbol to demonstrate this issue. After much discussion, there seemed no better symbol to highlight the issue of child sexual assault than the humble 'White Balloon'. The White Balloon was considered symbolic of the issue of child sexual assault following reflection on a public demonstration, which was held in Belgium on 20th October, 1996.  On this day 300,000 people gathered with white balloons and white flowers in a show of public sympathy and support for the parents of the young girls who were either murdered or missing at the hands of a previously convicted and released paedophile (Marc Dutroux). White Balloon Day is now an annual national event run by Bravehearts. It is widely supported by commercial, government and community sectors alike. In addition, White Balloon Day enjoys overwhelming support and encouragement from the media, schools, churches, health practitioners, emergency services, the legal fraternity and community organisations.    Bravehearts Today Bravehearts Inc. operates under an Article of Association, is operated by a Board of Management and is assisted by a professional Advisory Committee. We are registered under the Collections Act 1966; ABN and GST registered (41 496 913 890), are a registered Charity and are registered with the ATO as a DGR (Deductible Gift Recipient).   Bravehearts' members comprise survivors, parents, friends, partners, professionals and non-abusive members of the community who share in the belief that child sexual assault must stop. Bravehearts aims to 'Break the Silence', provide healing and support, engender child sexual assault prevention and protection strategies; advocate for understanding and promote increased education and research.   The work of Bravehearts in the community includes: Counselling Services: We provide counselling and support to children and young people who have experienced, or are at risk of, child sexual assault. This program also provides support for clients' non-offending family members. Advocacy and Support: This program provides specialised and accurate advice and assists survivors, families  and community members in the resolution of their concerns through appropriate channels. Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure - CD-Rom: The first of its kind in addressing the issue of protective behaviours for children and young people, DKSA has become an invaluable tool in teaching children and young people about personal safety. Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure - Education Program: A fun, live, interactive personal safety education program based on DKSA CD-Rom, sees Ditto travelling to schools and child care centres. Respect MySpace: Our partnership with MySpace aims to provide information to those young people, utilising MySpace, who are at risk of sexual assault and enabling them to access help and support. Fair Play: This program provides training and awareness workshops on risk management for staff and volunteers in organisations that have contact with children. The workshops are also available to other interested parties such as parent groups. White Balloon Awareness Campaign: Held annually since 1997, the campaign was labelled a 'phenomenon' by Senior Police when the 1999 campaign resulted in a staggering 514% increase in disclosures. Sexual Assault Disclosure Scheme: SADS was developed with the assistance of an interagency working party. It encourages survivors to disclose and as such stands to protect thousands of children from known predators. Loud & Clear: Produced in conjunction with Qld Police & the Qld Law Society, this free educative booklet provides adult survivors with vital information about the process of the criminal justice system. Crisis Information Pack: This publication was produced to provide information to parents and family members where there are concerns about child sexual assault. It also includes information for adult survivors and an extensive list of contacts. Research & Lobbying Program: We are actively involved in research, policy development and lobbying that aims to prevent, respond to, and ultimately reduce the incidence of child sexual assault in our communities. For more information on Bravehearts check out the Information Sheets here