Hello, my name is Callie
Let me tell you about the Mutual Aid Program at Bigger Sister Channel
Hello, I’m Callie and I’m the Mutual Aid Coordinator at Bigger Sister Channel (BSC).
In this post, I’ll share insights from my time at BSC, where I’ve grown both professionally and personally. I’ll explore how the program has evolved since I joined and reflect on the challenges and successes I’ve encountered along the way. You’ll also learn about the ongoing work we’re doing, the future of our Mutual Aid Program, and how we’re gearing up for the next fundraising cycle.
I started my role with BSC around April this year. With a background in social work, I approach my role through a strengths-based, person-centred, and trauma-informed lens. My work is grounded in critical social work theory and emphasises the importance of self-determination, where I believe individuals are the experts in their own lives. At BSC, I focus on supporting sex workers by providing resources, information, and referrals to assist them in meeting the needs they have identified.
It’s been an incredibly rewarding experience to work with BSC. I’m excited to share my journey and what’s next for our team as we continue to work alongside community members.
The Past 6 Months
Before I joined Bigger Sister Channel, fellow workers were coming to BSC, seeking support during times of hardship and crisis. BSC were doing their best to assist community members who came to them. However, this often required stepping away from other vital areas of their work, and the team sometimes felt uncertain about how to guide people seeking support. In light of this, the idea of the Mutual Aid Program was born, allowing BSC to continue providing support to those within our community.
Over the past six months at BSC, I spent time dedicated to identifying, understanding, synthesising and incorporating mutual aid principles into my (and the rest of the teams) everyday work at BSC. These principles structure the integrity of the program and it serves as a compass for how I approach and operate in my role. These are the principles that inform the program and the work done.
Our Mutual Aid Principles:
Our mutual aid project operates on the principle of solidarity, not charity. Our support extends freely to all sex workers in Australia, without any conditions or obligations.
Trust is a fundamental cornerstone in the operation of our mutual aid fund. We believe that trust is essential for building strong, supportive relationships within our community. People do not need to prove their need to access the project and we believe the people that come to us.
We are committed to upholding the dignity and self-determination of all individuals. We will not tell you what to do, we are led by you.
We strive to meet people where they are, acknowledging their unique circumstances. We acknowledge the impact of failing systems on individuals, emphasising that individuals are not the problem.
We recognise everyone has something valuable to contribute, promoting interdependence and breaking out of the giver/receiver binary.
We believe in promoting equal respect in the treatment of those giving and receiving aid. We are open to seeking feedback, and willing to adjust our program accordingly to best meet the needs of the community.
We are committed to being open about all our processes, actions and decisions to build trust and accountability with our community.
The mutual aid project believes in advocating for those most impacted by societal systems, promoting solidarity and liberation for all. This involves supporting sex worker organisations designed to advocate for policy changes that recognise the human rights, workers rights and dignity of sex workers.
We believe in sharing our resources instead of accumulating them.
As mutual aid is not a new concept, I needed to understand the history and theory of mutual aid if I was to formulate an appropriate set of principles that aligned with BSC’s mission and values. My role offered me the opportunity to deep dive into the theory of mutual aid and tie it into my learnings from my degree in social work. I had already learnt about Christian European practices of charity and how that influences the modern day charity model. These historical practices of charity categorised individuals into 'deserving and undeserving poor’, a distinction that is still evident in contemporary systems. For example, current policies may require individuals seeking housing assistance to demonstrate sobriety, further marginalising those in need of support. This approach shifts blame onto individuals for their lack of housing by focusing on individuals substance use, rather than addressing the systemic inequalities and structural failures inherent in the capitalist housing market.
In contrast, mutual aid presents a different approach that challenges these existing systems. Mutual aid emphasises that all individuals are deserving of support and seeks to address everyone's fundamental living needs. Additionally, mutual aid recognises the importance of sharing available resources, as opposed to the top-down view of charity. Social work has an emphasis on human rights and social justice and mutual aid is designed to meet everyone’s basic human rights through the support of the community. Being able to work within this project has meant that we’ve been able to support community members in a way that breaks down the binaries of giver/receiver and gives opportunities for the community to work together to meet each others' basic living needs, without barriers faced in traditional charity systems.
During my work setting up the Mutual Aid Program, I’ve developed greater confidence in my ability to provide support to people, as well as my organisational skills. Setting up our intake form and streamlining the support process has been a significant step in making our services more accessible, while ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of our community members.
Since its inception, the Mutual Aid Program has improved by becoming more structured. We've transitioned from providing informal support before I joined the team, to a more organised, impactful and clear process of accessing support. Coming into the role, the team was overwhelmed and their performance in other areas were severely affected. Once I set up the structure, process and design of the Mutual Aid Program, it provided space for the rest of the BSC team to focus on their roles. It also meant I could provide sex workers the attention they need and deserve during acutely stressful times in their lives.
Working with the BSC team has been a collaborative and fulfilling experience. The team values my social work knowledge and listens to my insights. I’ve gained new skills in areas like marketing and social media - skills that are essential to build the community needed to provide mutual aid. We’re constantly learning from each other, and this dynamic environment has strengthened the project as a whole.
Cultivating Trust and Transparency in Mutual Aid
The greatest challenge I’ve faced is imposter syndrome, despite my academic achievements and positive feedback from my placements. Taking on this role at BSC felt daunting, but by engaging in regular supervision with a more experienced social worker, I can reflect on my work, build confidence, and ensure I’m consistently engaging in ethical practices.
Another challenge has been balancing the privacy concerns of our community members with the record keeping requirements I learned during my degree of social work. Many in the sex work community have legitimate concerns about disclosing personal information. Especially given the legal record-keeping requirements faced in case management work, such as keeping case notes for seven years or the risk of court subpoenas. While documentation can help ensure we understand and meet accessibility needs, it's crucial we balance this with strict confidentiality to respect and protect the privacy of community members.
To overcome this, we’ve implemented a system where we can offer anonymous, one-time support without recording personal details, allowing us to respect privacy while still providing meaningful assistance. Our ability to offer one-time anonymous support while respecting privacy has been vital in ensuring people can access support, whilst feeling confident about confidentiality.
Looking ahead, I anticipate challenges in meeting the demand for ongoing support, as individuals have expressed interest in accessing longer-term support. For this to happen, the Mutual Aid Program and BSC needs to balance and continuously improve our organisational capacity with the increasing needs of the community. If you’re reading this and feeling inspired to contribute to the Mutual Aid Program, you can find out how here.
Whats Next For The Mutual Aid Program and Myself?
With support from everyday people such as yourself, I will explore sustainable ways to offer longer-term assistance while maintaining the privacy and dignity of those we serve. I also hope that, over time, we can build trust within our community, helping everyone see the Mutual Aid Program as a tool for collective resource sharing to support each other’s basic living needs. This might take many forms, from sharing sex worker-friendly services to donating work clothes no longer needed, or contributing financially to mutual aid efforts. We want everyone to feel like active members of the Mutual Aid Program, strengthening the support systems that are already in place within our community.
People can expect continued dedication from me in ensuring everyone in the community can access support, using my social work expertise to guide the Mutual Aid Program. As the Mutual Aid Program provides referrals to sex workers, I will also focus on strengthening our outreach and collaboration with other organisations to ensure we’re referring sex workers as safely as we can.
The Mutual Aid Program is fuelled through bi-yearly fundraising periods, one in June-July and the upcoming one in mid-November to mid-December. While anyone can donate to the program at any point, the fundraising period helps us determine how much financial aid we can provide for the next six month period. If you were ever thinking of donating to this project, the fundraising period is the perfect time. The financial donations we gather in our Nov-Dec fundraiser informs how much financial aid we can provide for the next support round, which runs from January through June. We’ve established a consistent schedule for these fundraising cycles, that way the community can now anticipate when they will occur each year.
Our fundraiser is currently live!
I encourage everyone to stay connected with Bigger Sister Channel by following us on social media or signing up for our newsletter on our website. This way, you’ll be updated on any of our programs, upcoming events, and ways to get involved.
If you’re in the financial position to give, please consider donating to our Mutual Aid Program. Alternatively, there are other ways to contribute to mutual aid efforts (not just this program), like dropping food to your local food bank. You can visit our webpage to contribute financially. Or, if you just want to learn more about mutual aid in general, check out this webpage which has a lot of resources on mutual aid.
Every donation, big or small, helps us continue to offer critical support to those who need it most.
This is my first time writing a post like this and to be completely honest, I felt anxious about doing so. Writing on a public level is not my strength, but I understand the community appreciates honesty, transparency, clarity and connection. I hope this post has given you insight into my role and inspired you to feel connected with my contribution to BSC so far.
Like the rest of the team, I plan to write for our Substack twice a year to report on my progress, challenges and impact. If you’d like to read more about our roles and responsibilities please do sign up to our Substack and consider a paid subscription to support us in doing our work.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Your support makes our work possible, and together, we can continue building a community that values equity, respect, and mutual aid for everyone through all facets of our life, not just sex workers.
With strength and solidarity,
Callie
Mutual Aid Coordinator