What is the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project? |  Project Background | Women's Networks | Project Role

What is the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project?

The InfoHub and Capacity Building Project was set up by the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre (QVWC) with project partners WIRE - Women's Information and Women's Health Victoria, and funded by a grant from the Victorian Government through the Community Support Fund. All project partners have contributed extensively to support the development of the project which aims to empower Victorian women and women's organisations to work together and achieve their personal and community goals.

The project offers a virtual and physical space for Victorian women. The ‘physical space’ is at the QVWC where there are a host of women-centred resources and services. The ‘virtual space’ is at the online InfoHub on this website where Victorian and national women’s networks have contributed a host of resources to help women and their organisations make informed choices.

Background to the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project 

The idea for the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project started taking shape in the early 1990s. Before the QVWC Act was passed in 1994, there was extensive community campaigning as women’s groups lobbied the Victorian Government to preserve the Queen Victoria Women’s Hospital site. During this process the Victorian Government sought advice from the Victorian Women’s Consultative Council (VWCC). The VWCC consulted over 2000 women and women’s organisations around Victoria to clarify the specific objectives of the proposed women’s centre. Further research was conducted in 2000 by the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Minsterial Advisory Committee (MAC), which outlined its findings in the MAC Report 2000. The report recommended the establishment of a Capacity Builder, including a Central (networked) Information Hub for women and women's organisations. These recommendations have been endorsed by the QVWC and its project partners. 

Women’s Networks

A key part of the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project involves existing women’s networks (also known as clusters) that focus on a specific topic of interest. Each network – comprised of women and women's organisations that are experts in their field – identifies and focuses on specific issues that affect women’s lives. These expert networks create and manage the InfoHub content and will participate in the develoment of capacity-building programs and initiatives. To date, InfoHub has developed three information topics: Health and Wellbeing, Violence Against Women and Work Family Balance. You can access the services and information recommended by these networks at InfoHub.

InfoHub 

InfoHub is a hub of information, a collection of links to existing online resources for women and women's organisations. Contributed by a range of Victorian and national women’s networks, all of InfoHub's resources have been chosen by women who are experts in their field. This means that the information is targeted specifically to meet women’s needs and concerns. It’s for women who might need practical or emotional help. It’s for women who want to improve their lives. It’s to empower all women to make informed choices and therefore to assist them to reach their goals and personal potential by addressing barriers and disadvantage. 

Information has been grouped into the following initial categories:

• Health & Wellbeing

• Violence Against Women

• Work Family Balance

Role of the InfoHub and Capacity Building Project

QVWC is charged with nurturing women and women's organisations. The InfoHub and Capacity Building Project specifically aims to build the capacity of Victorian women and women’s organisations by providing professional development and training, and support where resources, skill or time limitations prevent organisations from reaching their full potential.