Pink Belt Project

07/11/2025

Ever wonder what has become of the nearly 200 Pink Belt Scholarship recipients the project assisted between 2019 and 2024?

Here's one! Now she runs her own Taekwondo classes for survivors of family and domestic violence. 💪🏼🩷

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition Lisa-Marie Stapleton and thank you for continuing to carry the Pink Belt candle forward. 🕯️🥋

✨ Tasmanian martial arts instructor Lisa-Marie Stapleton funds free taekwondo training for domestic violence survivors, continuing a vital program after national funding ceased. ➡ https://shorturl.at/4Wt4U

23/07/2025

Fingers and toes crossed our Lisa-Marie Stapleton brings home these awards 🙏🏼🤞🏼 She is continuing to change lives by sharing and promoting the healing power of martial arts. 🩷🥋

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ZyWiiZTDP/

18/02/2025

While the formal charity business structure of Pink Belt Project has now been wound down, our former Board Member and now Project Ambassador Lisa-Marie Stapleton continues to help raise awareness about the power of martial arts for healing, health, well-being and growth. 🩷

27/01/2025

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While the formal not-for-profit structure has come to an end, we still have some amazing Instructors and Clubs keeping the Pink Belt Project flame alive in 2025.

Martial Arts training has some incredible benefits for the mind, body and spirit and research shows, martial arts has an empowering effect on women – particularly women on a healing journey.

Check out the list below ⬇️ of some of the clubs who are still offering scholarships and supporting women in their healing journey this year.

Melbourne Taekwondo Centre - Malvern

Melbourne Taekwondo Centre - Bayside

Taekwondo4All

Sangrok World Taekwondo Academy, Australia

Korean Martial Arts Academy - KMAA

Mandurah Goju Ryu Karate - SWGKA

Latrobe & Sheffield Munting Taekwondo Tasmania

Munting Taekwondo Tasmania

Kim's Taekwondo & Hapkido East Gippsland

Goju kai Karate IKGA QLD

Open Path Martial Arts

AJS Self Defence

Walsh Martial Arts - Ultimo Branch www.walshmartialarts.com.au

06/12/2024

01/12/2024

In case you were wondering about that amazing painting in yesterday's post...it has quite the story!

Artist Joy (left) explains...

This is a collaborative effort between myself and multiple women in my club, each who have been through some form of domestic and family violence.

Each participant was given the opportunity to write on the canvas things said or done to them, or messages they wanted to send their abusers. They then covered their words by throwing, scraping, and smearing paint over them.

I took what these women left me and turned it into something beautiful and powerful.

This canvas still carries all the hurt, tears, and anger. But it carries our hope, too. 🩷🩷🩷

01/12/2024

It was a big day in Tasmania today! Our Ambassador of Awesome Lisa-Marie Stapleton is almost single-handedly propelling forward the Pink Belt Project movement following the winding down of our formal charity structure. Today's event included a powerful display of how martial arts supports healing and recovery from violence. 🙏🏼🩷 Congratulations to everyone involved.

21/11/2024

While we wind down the formal not-for-profit structure of our organisation, the movement which empowers women through martial arts continues. 🥋💪🏼 Our Board Member, Supporter Club instructor and now general Ambassador of Awesome Lisa-Marie Stapleton is coordinating a public board breaking demonstration as part of a community event in Tasmania on Sunday December 1 which aims to take a stand against family and domestic violence. 💥

17/11/2024

📣 At its AGM tonight, the Board of Pink Belt Project elected to apply for voluntary cancellation. That means, we’ll no longer exist as a formal registered charity and not-for-profit. But we do hope this won't be the end. Together, here, we started a movement. We put a spotlight on the incredible power of martial arts for healing from violence - particularly for women.

With your help, we lit the flame and we know that glow will be everlasting. 🔥 We hope our name and logo will remain as a symbol of empowerment for women through martial arts. 🥋🩷

Rather than being downcast, we would like to celebrate what has been achieved - More than 200 Pink Belt Scholarships have been offered up in every State and Territory of Australia as well as (incredibly!) several international locations. 💥

125 women received a Pink Belt Scholarship and of those, 48 completed their full 12 months. 🙌

Our website will remain as a resource on trauma-informed martial arts for prevention of and recovery from violence.

Some of you have witnessed the incredible transformation and healing that has occurred as a result.

The bravery of our recipients to step forward and take on the Pink Belt challenge has been nothing short of inspiring and an absolute privilege to have been part of.

As you can imagine, this has been a very tough decision but despite our best efforts over many years, we have not been able to secure a source of funding that would provide us with a sustainable future. 😥

Thank you for being part of our community and we hope you will remain here as part of the movement. 🩷