SAXON DRURY-GODDEN
COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD
NOMINATED FOR
West Hindmarsh
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How would you describe yourself or your work in one sentence?
Peer support and community work - showing up every day and letting a million small impacts grow into something big.
Tell us a little about what you do
Saxon is currently a Community Worker at Uniting Communities' Bfriend program, having previously taken on roles as Gender Diverse Project Officer at Sex Industry Network SA, and Peer Support Worker at Gender Connect Country SA (SHINE).
Having come from work as a professional chef and bartender in the early years of her life, Saxon found that being visibly queer often came with a stigma that made discussing sexuality and gender difficult to talk about. This drove her to study Diploma-level counselling, finally finding a calling after graduation in positions that allowed creative and authentic approaches to building genuine connection, safety and belonging between members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Through Bfriend, Saxon has also extended her practise to providing inclusivity training to community and government organisations, to guide service providers to reach outcomes that benefit our community.
Delivering direct and meaningful peer support has been at the core of all of Saxon's roles for nearly a decade since.
What impact or achievement are you most proud of this year?
A key moment or impact is difficult to pinpoint, and the value of the work Saxon has done it best measured over time - a consistent impact across different areas of the industry with a strong record of exceeding key performance indicators in every area.
An achievement Saxon is proud of from the past year is the celebration of Bfriend's 30th anniversary - marking the occasion for a service that was controversial in its time, but succeeded because of the hard work and belief of volunteers who gave their time to build up the community. Saxon's work involved tracking people, programs and initiatives over 30 years of service operation, leading to a 10+ metre historical wall and art installation that encapsulated the scale of the progress made since 1995.
Why does your work matter to the community?
The work Saxon does matters simply because people are more isolated than ever, at a time where community is vitally important to the wellbeing of all people. This work matters because there is no replacement for in-person connection and the strengthening of interpersonal networks. Saxon's work is important because she will throw everything at the wall to see what will stick when it comes to bringing people together and forging a sense of belonging in others.
What would you like voters to know when voting for you?
A vote for Saxon would recognise that working with the community is not about grand gestures - it's about showing up day in and day out, being willing to give anything a try, and trusting that every small action builds into something larger than the sum of its parts.