The project began as a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project that focused on the links between gender and violence in young mothers' lives. The core group was limited to seven young women. The criteria for core-group selection were commitment to the project for its duration (approximately 8 months) and a willingness to discuss and reflect upon their experiences of violence. The first phase of the project consisted of action- reflection sessions, which were similar to the action-reflection process described by Freire (1972). This involved the young women discussing an experience of violence and then reflecting on what had been helpful and detrimental in coping with the experience. In the PAR's second stage, the participants met with young women throughout southeast Queensland to discuss their experiences of violence and responses to violence. This stage culminated in a young mothers' research forum. One of the major findings of the PAR project concerned the significance and importance of peer relationships in preventing violence and in promoting healing from abuse. A network of supportive peers proved to be more valuable in helping the women deal with violent victimization than the response of the criminal justice system. As one response to this finding, a group of young mothers, many of whom participated in the PAR study, banded together under the name Young Mothers for Young Women to develop a peer support and advocacy network. A primary aim of the network is to establish lifestyles for women that are free from violence. 16 references