ABOUT US
Founded by domestic violence survivors to support fellow survivors
Our Mission
Domestic Violence Survivors mentoring fellow survivors to recover, heal and rebuild their lives.
Who we are and what we do
Broken to Brilliant™ is an Australian registered not-for-profit charity established by domestic violence survivors to mentor other survivors to re-establish successful lives. We help victims who have safely left the abusive relationship and are out of the crisis by providing services and programs to empower, support, assist and give hope to survivors in their journey to create a new chapter in their lives.
Our focus is not during the crisis of domestic violence or during the stage of transition and resettlement time. Our focus is on a survivor's journey of recovery and rebuilding their lives. See the image below - Stages of Domestic Violence - Abuse to Rebuilding.
Our work is non-party-political, inclusive, and focused on supporting domestic and family violence survivors to recover, heal, and rebuild their lives.
Domestic and family violence affects every community and every electorate. We welcome respectful engagement with elected representatives, community leaders, services, supporters, and survivors who share a commitment to improving outcomes for victim-survivors.
Our Purpose
How should survivors feel, after we have left? I am not sure, but we did not feel what others expected us to feel.
My friend came bustling up to me with a big smile, rushing towards me, arms open, ready for an embrace, as she said in an upbeat tone, ‘Congratulations! You’re out.’ I did not feel that congratulations were in order. I felt like a failure. My marriage, relationship and life had failed. I didn’t feel like celebrating. There was a mixture of loss, grief, shame, anger, resentment, regret, uncertainty, relief and excitement. How can one person feel so many mixed emotions at once? It was certainly a confusing time. People would say I should be happy, though happiness was not what I felt.
As the years progressed, their tune changed: ‘You’re a man-hater.’ Their words could not be further from the truth. It is ongoing fear and lack of trust that makes survivors hesitant – scared to meet someone like that again. But where could we go for help? Who would understand?
As domestic violence survivors, we knew only too well that there was limited support for long-term recovery. That’s why we founded the charity Broken to Brilliant.
Our Goal
Broken to Brilliant’s goal is to reduce the long-term impact of domestic violence by increasing financial independence, decreasing distress, increasing opportunities through education, life-skills training, and social support networks and supporting the rebuilding efforts of those who have experienced domestic violence.
Why?
The World Health Organisation has found that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime, and 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Men are more likely to experience violence from strangers and in a public place; women are most likely to know the perpetrator (often their current or a previous partner) and the violence usually takes place in their home. One in six Australian women and one in 19 men have been subjected to physical and/or sexual violence (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).
How we help
Broken to Brilliant helps domestic violence survivors by:
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mentoring survivors to build their leadership skills through volunteering and involvement in the Board Working Groups
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mentoring survivors to through our transformational programs Survivor to Thriver, DV-ART, HEART,
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mentoring survivors to increase the public speaking skills through presentations raising awareness of domestic violence at conferences, at events & via podcasts
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publishing a series of books to assist with long term recovery
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providing access to an online course ‘The steps to rebuild your life’
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linking domestic violence survivors with other survivors for guidance & support
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running the Give a Book program toto distribute books to refuges and other services, where they are needed.
Who we help
Overall, we help victim-survivors rebuild and empower their lives and support survivors to become independent, active members of their community and not return to an abusive situation.
Listen to domestic violence survivors' stories of strength and success in our podcasts. Read poetry by survivors and more about our programs, events, and partnerships in our blogs.
Survivors can get help
Let us help you get started on your journey away from abuse. You are worth it, there is a world of healing, health and happiness that awaits you. See our programs
Words from a survivor
“I would not be where I am today, on my journey, towards rebuilding and connecting with my true self, without the support, advice and guidance from the team at a Broken to Brilliant” - J.
You can help survivors
You can also help to change lives by:
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giving a book to a refuge
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volunteer in our Op Shops at Geebung or Brisbane City, apply here
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or helping support the charity in other ways find out more about how you can help Broken to Brilliant.
Contact Broken to Brilliant:
email: contact@brokentobrilliant.org
How to Donate
There are several easy ways to support Broken to Brilliant.
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You can donate directly through the Broken to Brilliant Shop by clicking the Donate product and selecting the donation amount that suits you. Donations are available in increments of $5, $10, $20, or $50, and you can choose multiple quantities to make a larger contribution.
For example:
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20 × $50 = $1,000 donation
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10 × $10 = $100 donation
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5 × $20 = $100 donation
2. Recycle your eligible cans and bottles using our Containers for Change scheme ID C10029698, or organise a Recollect pickup from your workplace or organisation so your containers can help fund our programs supporting survivors rebuilding their lives.
International Patron
Our international patron is Karen Jacobsen, the original Australian voice of SIRI, “the GPS girl” her message is “It is never too late to recalculate. Even in life’s most challenging situations, there is the possibility of a new beginning”.
