Residents are being asked to yarn bomb their homes as part of the Healthy Families Yarn initiative to raise awareness leading up to Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.
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Healthy Families Yarn is a yarn bombing project of the Mount Isa Domestic Violence Action Group in collaboration with Mount Isa City Council and the Mount Isa Tourism Association.
Yarn Bombing is also known as "granny graffiti", "urban knitting" or "guerrilla knitting" and it's a form of street art that uses knitted or crocheted material to decorate public spaces to raise awareness for a cause.
A DVAG spokesperson said they were calling on locals to join in the yarn bombing initiative, encouraging locals to get involved in yarn bombing their yards and homes during COVID-19 isolation to promote healthy yarns surrounding domestic and family violence.
"Now that we are more house-bound than ever, we are encouraging families to yarn bomb their own front yard and cars: their fences, doors, letterboxes and/or cars as they drive around town from now until the end of May 2020. (Please ensure that if you yarn bomb the car, the vision, lights and numberplates are not obstructed in anyway)," the spokesperson said.
"Yarning is perfect for families to do in isolation. We want you to yarn bomb, take a photo and post the photos to the Healthy Families Yarn Facebook: www.facebook.com/healthyfamiliesyarn.
"We also have a couple more public yarn bombings in the pipeline. Our planned finale yarn bombing has had to be postponed now that travel restrictions are in place, but we are still going to yarn."
So far the DVAG has yarn bombed local infrastructure like the Carandotta Horses, Mining statue at Isa Street Bridge and the sign at the Mount Isa Lookout and said it was a way of getting people's attention to start the conversation.
"The beautiful Carrandotta Horses were chosen to get people's attention driving along Marion Street during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in late November to early December 2019. Their location and the novelty of seeing metal horses dressed up in woollies during some of the hottest months of the year made them an ideal first yarn bombing," a DVAG spokesperson said.
"The Miner and his child was chosen as a symbolic offering for Youth Week - plus it's cute. The bombing of the lookout sign post was arranged before the COVID 19 travel restrictions really came into place, so the teddy bear on the top was incorporated as another homage to Youth Week and to add to the Mount Isa Bear Hunt initiative
"We wanted to pick locations that were iconic to Mount Isa and were places that locals and tourists were attracted to go and visit as a way of starting as many yarns as possible."
DVAG said while locals were in isolation they could easily jump on board and start knitting, crocheting and help start the conversation.
"At this time when we are socially distanced from our communities, it's the perfect time to have these conversations within families," she said.
"We are asking for families to have the yarns: to talk among themselves around what keeps their family healthy, strong, and safe. We'd love for families to come up with the answers that work for them - there is no right or wrong.
"There are some great resources to help families have these conversations on the Healthy Families Yarn Facebook page."
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