Students collaborate with leading Aboriginal initiative NO MORE

For many university students and graduates, it’s essential to find a meaningful career path that comes with the opportunity to work towards a greater good. Often, the best way to begin building an ethical career is by seeking out volunteer opportunities that combine skills and practice with supporting positive change.

In June 2024, 6 students from Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Design and Sports Management courses embraced the challenge of using their business skills for good, through a partnership with NO MORE — a leading Aboriginal initiative dedicated to preventing Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) across the Northern Territory and beyond.

The project, undertaken as part of the Industry Consulting Project (IND301A) unit of their course, offered a unique opportunity for mutual support. On the one hand, NO MORE received strategic volunteer support to expand their campaign. On the other hand, the students were provided with a valuable opportunity to learn and apply their skills to an important mission: raising awareness to reduce DFV incidents and deaths, which remain so high as to be considered an ongoing national emergency.

“Working on the NO MORE project has been an incredible experience,” explained Anaïs Martin, who was 1 of the 6 participating students.

“This Aboriginal initiative, focused on preventing Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) through a whole-of-community approach, is truly inspiring. Being part of a project dedicated to such an important cause was deeply rewarding. It allowed me to contribute to meaningful change while collaborating with passionate individuals committed to creating a safer and more supportive community. I’m grateful to have been part of something so impactful”.

NO MORE: Creating safer communities together

Founded by Charlie King, AM in partnership with CatholicCare NT (CCNT), NO MORE has been addressing DFV since 2006. Initially launched as a campaign, NO MORE is an Aboriginal-led initiative addressing domestic and family violence (DFV) across all communities in Australia, though it focuses significantly on Aboriginal women and children in the Northern Territory due to their disproportionate impact.

It is built around a model that engages with men, service providers, and communities to develop local, sustainable responses to DFV. Central to their mission is the principle of subsidiarity — empowering communities to take responsibility for reducing DFV by addressing the root causes of violence, and using dialogue to shift harmful behaviours and attitudes. Their initiatives prioritise the safety of women and children, while fostering healthier, more respectful relationships within communities.

NO MORE partners with sporting clubs, businesses, and councils to develop action plans, build community leadership, and support men's groups, while promoting education and referrals to behaviour change programs. The campaign is backed by Indigenous influencers and amplified through public events and digital strategies to raise awareness and drive social change.

Students designed a campaign for 16 Days of Activism

Real-world experience, meaningful impact and industry collaboration are all important principles which lie at the heart of Torrens University's industry-led, ‘working for good’ approach. Students can access opportunities to work for ethical businesses or non-profit organisations through the Social Enterprise Hub, internships with industry partners, or through in-class Industry Consulting Projects.

The Industry Consulting Project (IND301A) provides students with 150 hours of practical industry experience as part of their course, giving them the unique opportunity to work on a live brief with an industry client. Through hands-on experience, students learn ‘by doing’ to break down complex business challenges into actionable outcomes, leveraging project management, research, marketing and problem-solving skills. The unit emphasises both individual and team-based consultancy work, modelled on the collaborative structure of real-world industry consulting projects.

The 6 students: Jasmine Joan, Kobe Lee Jimenez, Anaïs Martin, Bailey Foord, Natasha Kleinman and Dylan Matthew Muller were tasked with creating an impactful awareness campaign for NO MORE. Guided by lecturer Dominika Ohana, the students developed a comprehensive campaign strategy designed to support NO MORE’s 16 Days of Activism social media initiative. Their proposed solutions included:

• Collaborative partnerships and community outreach: Identifying key stakeholders and building partnerships to amplify the campaign’s reach.
• Social media strategy: Designing a multi-channel approach to engage the community and raise awareness through digital platforms.
• Campaign launch plan and timeline: Developing a detailed timeline for rolling out the campaign, complete with IRL and digital events, collaborative actions, milestones and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• 4 digital assets and app development: Proposing the creation of a mobile app designed to support victims and their families, providing resources, support services, and a safe space for connection.

Bailey Foord explains some of the design choices behind the strategic planning they developed for NO MORE: “We aimed to integrate some of the Indigenous themes involved that surrounded the project and make it a 'pathway' as such that could be followed in the form of a short brief”.

He continues, “Having this opportunity to collaborate with NO MORE enabled me to gain real-world experience with a real-world project. The skills, teamwork and ethics applied led to an extremely successful outcome with fundamental techniques that I am still developing today”.

The student response has been overwhelmingly positive: for the students involved, the experience has been a unique opportunity to learn a lot from NO MORE, while putting their learning into practice and feeling positive about contributing to this important social cause.

“Working with NO MORE was the highlight of my studies at Torrens University,” explained Jasmine Joan, “Working towards a live brief aimed at increasing awareness and the impact of their cause provided real experience. Researching domestic violence in the Northern Territory and understanding the issues faced by indigenous people also highlighted the tactful approach that NO MORE uses to lift up communities. I’m very proud to have contributed to their upcoming campaigns”.

The students’ innovative ideas impressed NO MORE, particularly their proposal for the mobile app. The app, tailored to meet the needs of victims and families affected by DFV, stood out for its thoughtful design and practical functionality.

Student concepts by Anaïs Martin, Bailey Foord, and Jasmine Joan

Continuing partnership with NO MORE

This collaboration is just the beginning of an ongoing partnership. With the social media campaign underway, Torrens University and NO MORE are discussing new opportunities to further the project.

“This collaboration has demonstrated how academic institutions and community organisations can create real change together. It highlights the power of blending research, education, and practical application to develop innovative solutions”. – Narelle Gosstray, NO MORE Program Manager.

Real-world learning for positive impact

A growing number of young people want ethical careers: According to a 2024 survey by Deloitte, 86% of Gen Z and 89% of millennials say having a sense of purpose is important to their overall job satisfaction and wellbeing. For aspiring professionals who want to build an ethical career, using your skills and business training to work on projects for a non-profit, environmental organisation, or social enterprise can offer the ideal pathway to a satisfying career.

It’s a good starting point to enrol in a course which offers units on ethical and sustainable business practices (such as the Ethics and Sustainability unit, part of the Bachelor of Business), and which provides opportunities to practise your business skills for social good before you even finish your course.

The Industry Consulting Project (IND301A) exemplifies how students can gain this kind of hands-on experience while making a real-world impact, before they’ve even graduated. Through projects like this, students not only enhance their professional skills in project management, research, and problem-solving, but also contribute to meaningful social change. By partnering with important social impact organisations like NO MORE, students are empowered to turn classroom knowledge into practical solutions, preparing them for future careers where they can make a practical difference in their communities.