Community-led prevention programs
Our community-led programs aim to prevent and reduce gambling harm by funding a range of organisations to deliver innovative local projects in diverse communities across Victoria. Project aims include raising awareness of the risks of gambling, providing alternative recreational activities, reducing the stigma of gambling harm and encouraging people experiencing gambling harm to seek support.
On this page
Gambler's Help community engagement program
Delivered by community engagement staff from Gambler’s Help agencies across Victoria, the community engagement program works directly with communities to address their specific gambling harm prevention needs.
The program's activities aim to:
- address the main drivers of gambling harm within key settings, locations and at-risk populations
- raise awareness of the harms and risks of gambling by building community knowledge about gambling harm through local events, speaking engagements and media promotion
- promote Gambler’s Help support services
- encourage help-seeking behaviour by reducing the stigma associated with gambling harm
- build strategic local partnerships with local community and health sector organisations to increase understanding about gambling-related harm and awareness of Gambler’s Help services.
Community engagement activities draw on health promotion principles to reach communities, drive impact and achieve outcomes through integrated partnerships and collaborations with other community and health organisations.
Our Gambler's Help community engagement partners:
Prevention partnerships
Through strategic partnerships with community organisations and local government agencies, we deliver innovative programs that target at-risk communities to help prevent and reduce gambling harm. Many of these initiatives began as pilot projects.
Since 2014
Funded prevention partners and programs
Reclink Australia
Reclink Australia delivers inclusive sports, arts, and recreation programs to community members at risk of and experiencing gambling harm, social isolation, and poor mental health across Latrobe Valley and Central Victoria.
Australian Vietnamese Women's Association (AVWA)
AVWA's 'Activators of Change' project is designed to reduce the vulnerability to gambling harm for women from Vietnamese communities by improving their social participation, engagement, and connections.
Self Help Addiction Resource Centre (SHARC)
SHARC's ‘Three Sides of the Coin’ program uses storytelling as a method of recovery, peer support and community education. Participants – people harmed by their own or someone else’s gambling – attend workshops and develop their combined stories into theatre. Their performances are shared with community and professional audiences.
Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA)
The VLGA's ‘Building Council and Community Capacity’ program helps councils build knowledge and skills to develop and implement actions to reduce gambling harm. It also assists local communities to participate in application processes via the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission regarding electronic gaming machine (pokies) placement.
Project evaluation and reporting
Learn more about our community-led prevention projects by downloading our evaluation summary reports:
- Prevention Partnerships Program 2019-2022
- Local Prevention Program evaluation summary 2014-2017
- Prevention Partnerships Program evaluation summary 2017-2019
- Prevention Grants for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities 2018 evaluation
- Prevention Grants for Regional and Rural Victoria 2018-19 evaluation report summary