Youth Voices Shine in New ‘Voices in Light’ Film and Art Wellbeing Program for UN 16 Days of Activism

Northern Rivers Community Gateway (NRCG) has launched Voices in Light, a powerful new youth-led short film and art wellbeing program created in Bundjalung Country for the UN 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Filmed in the Northern Rivers with local young people, Voices in Light follows a group of young teenage girls as they create a large shared mural together in nature, using colour, movement and storytelling to explore themes of safety, courage, connection and respect. The camera follows their process with a gentle, lyrical gaze while their own words lead the story.

The project is a partnership between Northern Rivers Community Gateway and creative production collective Daughter Collective, and was developed to offer a consent-first, art-based space for young people to speak about their experiences, hopes and boundaries in the context of gender-based violence and healthy relationships.

“At Northern Rivers Community Gateway, we hold a gentle but firm belief that everyone deserves to live free from gender-based violence, and that nurturing and listening to young people is essential to building that future,” said Northern Rivers Community Gateway CEO Jenni Beetson-Mortimer. “Voices in Light gives local young people a creative, supported way to talk about safety, respect and what they want their futures to look like. It is about listening to them, not speaking for them.”

Throughout the film, interviews are short, optional and held in quiet spaces beside the canvas, so conversation feels natural while painting continues nearby. Each young person chooses how they appear, if at all, with options for audio only, hands or back-of-head, or full face if they wish.

The film and program were designed with a strong focus on trauma-informed practice. Choice is active at every step, from participation and filming options to the content of the mural itself. Nature is used as visual poetry and a calming environment, supporting young people to create and reflect while feeling grounded and held.

“We wanted to build a day that felt calm, safe and genuinely youth-led,” said Kimberley Smith, Trauma Counsellor at Northern Rivers Community Gateway.“Art becomes a vehicle for important conversations about respect and safety, without putting anyone on the spot.”

Throughout the UN’s 16 Days of Activism, Northern Rivers Community Gateway will screen Voices in Light at a local community event, partner services and youth spaces across the region, and will make the film and supporting discussion guide available to schools, services and organisations across Northern Rivers NSW.

“We invite educators, youth workers, community organisations and media outlets to use Voices in Light as a conversation starter,” CEO Jenni Beetson-Mortimer said. “It is a reminder that prevention work can be hopeful, creative and grounded in young people’s strengths.”

NRCG encourages anyone moved by the film who may need support to contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or local specialist services.