Are you a loud and proud sex worker (current or former) with a passion for sex worker rights?
If so, we invite you to join the Vixen Transition Committee (VTC)!
Get involved to help shape the future of your representative sex worker organisation and the sex worker movement in so-called Victoria!
Who is Vixen and what is the Vixen Transition Committee?
Vixen is Victoria’s peer sex worker organization – 100% by and for sex workers. Vixen was formed 16 years ago, with the aim of creating a space to amplify the voices, experiences, and cultures of sex workers in so-called Victoria.
Vixen operated as a self-funded collective for many years. In 2022, to coincide with the partial- decriminalisation of sex work in so-called Victoria, Vixen accepted government funding. Through an auspicing arrangement, Scarlet Alliance (so-called Australia’s national peer-led sex worker organisation), is assisting Vixen in strengthening our organisational capacity and move to independence. As part of this process, Vixen is working towards becoming an incorporated organisation which aims to be self-governing and financially autonomous.
The Vixen Transition Committee is responsible for facilitating this process of incorporation and independence, and we are currently seeking three enthusiastic sex workers to join us on the VTC!
That all sounds like bureaucratic word-salad. In plain language, what is the VTC and what does the VTC actually do?
The VTC is Vixen’s governance body. This means we make decisions about the overarching direction of the organisation and strive to set the tone and culture of Vixen based on input from sex workers within our communities.
What does work on the Vixen Transition Committee actually involve?
VTC members attend regular meetings, and our work focuses on developing the policies and approaches which inform how Vixen’s projects are implemented.
The VTC doesn’t do front-facing work (such as outreach – this is done by Vixen staff), rather our role in Vixen involves building the structure of the organisation. If you imagine Vixen, staff and committee, are sex worker pirate adventurers sailing the open seas – then we on the committee create the map that the seafarers (staff) will follow, not only that, we provide the tools for the adventurers to build their boat!
I’m interested in getting involved, but I’m not confident I have the skills or experience to join the VTC.
If you don’t have governance experience or haven’t previously been involved in a community organisation, please don’t let that put you off! We are all learning and growing the organisation (and ourselves) together. We recognise that the best way to gain experience in the sex worker movement is through Learning By Doing.
The VTC facilitates governance training for new members and provides annual capacity building opportunities for all VTC members. Through your participation, you will learn what being on a committee involves, and will have opportunities to be mentoring and shadowing opportunities.
As sex workers, we have skills that are not always recognised in civilian spaces, but are valued in the sex worker rights movement.
This is an opportunity for you to share your expertise and build new skills and to join our team as we work fiercely for sex worker rights in Victoria and in the national space!
The only essential experience we require of all VTC members is to be a current or former Victorian sex worker.
A role on the VTC would suit a sex worker who has an interest in:
- Collective, consensus based decision making
- Governance
- Skill-sharing
- Minute taking and meeting facilitation
- Leadership
- Submission writing
You don’t have to have prior experience of these activities – we are seeking to recruit sex workers with a wide range of skill sets and interests, as well as a diverse range of sex work and life experiences.
We especially encourage migrant sex workers, sex workers of colour (including culturally and linguistically diverse sex workers, and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander sex workers) to apply. We also strongly encourage Trans and Gender Diverse sex workers, disabled sex workers, sex workers who use currently illicit drugs, sex workers who have street-based experience, sex workers with experience of incarceration and/ or homelessness, sex workers living with HIV and/ or HCV (or other BBVs), and sex workers with diverse sex industry experience to apply.
We ask that you hold values that oppose racism, sexism, homo/transphobia and other conservative biases and tendencies. We also ask that you recognise the need to de-colonise not only social and institutional structures, but our own individual mindsets, and thus recognise the importance of having minorities and the traditionally marginalised and silenced in decision making roles at all levels to lead policy decision making processes that impact our lives.
What is a realistic estimate of the time commitment required of VTC members?
Current VTC members work anywhere between 2 to 15 hours per week, based on our capacities. The VTC meets fortnightly or monthly for approximately 2 hours. Amongst the VTC, we have smaller working groups which focus on specific tasks – these working groups may meet weekly, fortnightly, or monthly, depending on the task.
As this is an unpaid role, we work flexibly and accommodate each others’ needs and capacity wherever possible. Although a nominal fee is paid for committee meetings. We understand that capacity can change regularly and many life factors can impact this. However, we do ask that you are generally able to make a regular and ongoing time commitment and are able to regularly communicate your availability and capacity.
Where do VTC meetings and activities take place?
Vixen is based in Brunswick, however, VTC meetings can be joined online (this allows for members based outside Narrm / Melbourne to participate).
How do I apply for a position on the VTC?
Please email us a letter as an ‘expression of interest’ at VTC_expressionsofinterest@proton.me
Your expression of interest should outline who you are, your sex work experience, why you want to join the VTC, and anything else you think may be relevant.
I’ve applied what happens next?
Once we receive all the expressions of interest for the VTC, we will read through the applications and invite all applicants to meet with us for an informal chat via Zoom or at the Vixen office. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more about us, and for us to find out more about you.
As we are only recruiting 3 new VTC members at this time, we will identify the 3 most suitable sex worker candidates. If you aren’t successful in your VTC application, don’t fear- we have many more opportunities for you to become involved in the work of Vixen!