Six hundred young women from across Western Sydney have taken part in the inaugural ‘Real Lives Real Stories’ forum as part of a GIANTS Care community initiative.

Hosted by GIANTS number one ticket holder Melissa Doyle, the event at Bankstown Sports Club focused on resilience, passion and finding the strength from within.

White Ribbon ambassador Angela Barker, a survivor of domestic violence, shared her inspirational story as the keynote speaker before a panel of women from the local community shared their personal stories.

The panel was made up by Najah Zoabi (CEO of Warrior Woman – women’s support network), Rebecca Shaw (General Manager of Marketing and Consumer at the GIANTS), Sports Psychologist Rosie Stanimirovic and Marie Kanaan (Executive Manager at Bankstown Sports Club).

Local entrepreneur Mina Favotto, who owns five McDonalds restaurants, also shared her journey to success to close the day.

Students came from right across Sydney for the event including women from Bankstown Girls, Condell Park, Macarthur Girls, Rooty Hill, Parramatta, Moorefield Girls, Kogarah and Kingsgrove North.

The day included entertainment from school groups representing some of the different cultures that make up Western Sydney.

Nancy Fonseca of Oxanda Education said these forums are what the GIANTS Care community initiative is all about.

“Oxanda Education feels honoured to be part of GIANTS Care, especially on days like today when we can reach young girls in our community and help them understand that they are powerful, very capable young individuals.”

For more information on GIANTS Care, click here