Dr Peter Streker, Director of Community Stars, is a community psychologist who thrives on the challenge of working on topics that many others put into the ‘too hard basket’.

These topics include community health and wellbeing, racism, violence, street sex work, drugs and alcohol, community building, homelessness, food security, social cohesion, Aboriginal health, community progress indicators and grass roots community leadership.  Peter and the teams he led have won multiple awards including:

• Federal Government’s National Award for Excellence in Local Government  – Health and Wellbeing (winner 2009),
• Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in the category of Best Business-Community Partnership in Victoria (winner 2007),
• Federal Government’s National Award for Excellence in Local Government  – Building Strong & Resilient Communities (Commendation, 2005), and
• Australian Institute of Project Management’s (AIPM) Project Management Achievement awards (Judges’ High Commendation, 2010).

Many of these innovative community projects were replicated in other locations or formats (e.g., Streetlife street parties, Help Yourself food rescue, Sex and Drugs Historical Walking Tours).  One of the projects that Peter assisted Sally Finn (Salvation Army) in kick-starting is now recognised across many parts of the world: Overdose Day has transformed into International Overdose Awareness Day.

Peter recently managed VicHealth’s Reducing Race-Based Discrimination and Social Connections programs and has been the National Director of ICLEI Oceania’s Cities for Safe and Healthy Communities.

Peter also recently released a book on psychological and emotional abuse, lectured at Victoria University, supervises other psychologists,  counsellors and community workers and sits on the ethics boards of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and the Good Shepherd Youth and Family Service.

Here’s Peter’s interview in the Huffington Post on why it’s important to teach our boys about gender equality.