Ongoing partnerships

The ‘ReSPIN’ program recruits, trains and supports volunteer community educators to share their personal experiences of gambling harm and recovery with community and professional audiences across Victoria. The speakers have experienced gambling harm either because of their own or someone else’s gambling. The program aims to raise awareness of gambling harm, decrease stigma and encourage people to seek support. This program has been delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2014.

The Young Leaders of the West program aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma in relation to gambling harm among young people in Melbourne’s west. In partnership with Brimbank City Council and the Western Bulldogs Football Club, IPC Health engages young ambassadors to co-design and deliver workshops and pilot programs within sporting and other community groups. This program has been delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2017.

The ‘Libraries after Dark’ program offers a variety of after-hours activities at several local libraries across metropolitan and regional Victoria. Led by Merri-bek City Council, the program provides community members with social and recreational opportunities during the evening as an alternative to attending gambling venues. This program has been delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2017.

Reclink Australia delivers two programs in partnership with the Foundation in Central Victoria and the Latrobe Valley.

The first is Reclink’s regional community football and cricket leagues program, which provides mid-week sporting programs and equipment for socially disadvantaged members of the Central Victorian community. Delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2016, the program supports players through social connection, guidance, and pathways to services for people affected by gambling harm.

Commencing in 2021, the second program delivered by Reclink is the Latrobe Valley gambling harm prevention program. Working in partnership with key stakeholders in the region, the program runs inclusive sports, arts and recreation programs to community members at risk of experiencing gambling harm, social isolation, and poor mental health.

The ‘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. This program has been delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2014.

The 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.

The ‘Building Council and Community Capacity’ program builds councillor and council officer knowledge and skills in developing and implementing actions to reduce gambling harm. The program also assists local communities to participate in decision-making processes at the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation regarding electronic gaming machine (pokies) placement. This program has been delivered in partnership with the Foundation since 2017.