Women’s wellbeing and community healing
whISPers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Softball Corporation is funded by the ACT Government to deliver Community Healing Our Way – a community-led program focused on raising awareness of family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) and supporting healing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people impacted by violence.
Community Healing Our Way training and education
Funded from 2023 to 2029, Community Healing Our Way uses sport, culture and connection to create safe spaces for yarns, learning and healing. The program brings mob together through softball, cultural gatherings and community events to:
- raise awareness of family, domestic and sexual violence
- support healing and wellbeing for women, children and young people
- strengthen family and community connections
- promote strength, resilience and cultural safety.
We meet people where they already feel connected on the field, at events and within community spaces. Through the program, whISPers helps break down barriers to conversations about violence and healing, in ways that are culturally respectful and led by mob.
A strengths-based, community-controlled approach
Community Healing Our Way aligns with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan 2023–2025 and supports Reform Area 2: Strength, resilience and therapeutic healing, with a strong focus on women and young people.
As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisation, whISPers delivers this work in ways shaped by community priorities, lived experience and cultural knowledge. We don’t do one-size-fits-all solutions. Family involvement, connection to culture, friendship and support remain central to how healing happens.
Ongoing support
The ACT Government continues to invest in this work. The 2025–26 ACT Budget provides $183,000 over 3 years from 2026–27 to continue the Community Healing Our Way program, recognising the role of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in responding to family, domestic and sexual violence.
Through this program, whISPers remains committed to walking alongside women, families and community, while using sport as a pathway to wellbeing, healing and long-term change.
About the artwork
