It takes a long time to make 10,000 woven paper stars, as the Burnie Child and Family Centre well knows.
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The centre joined the One Million Stars to End Violence project, which asked communities from around the commonwealth to each commit to making 10,000 stars by July to raise awareness about violence.
The stars will be compiled at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 2018 in an installation expressing light and kindness.
“It resonates with us at the centre because we know the damaging effects of violence on families, especially children, so we try to find new and interesting ways to raise awareness about violence,” community inclusion worker Kylie Mulcahy said.
A community of dedicated volunteers have been weaving the stars from strips of recycled children’s paintings, and Ms Mulcahy expects they will hit 10,000 next week.
Mother-of-two Deborah Heazlewood has been going to the centre regularly to make stars, and has enjoyed being involved in the project.
“It’s really calming to actually make the stars so it's quite a good way to de-stress from everyday life,” she said.
“[Also] to help raise that awareness about domestic violence, especially when we take the stars home and make them with the girls and we can have those conversations at home as well.”
The centre is dedicated to raising awareness about and combatting violence and is part of the Department of Education, which is in the process of securing White Ribbon accreditation.