Youth Forum helps young people understand and prevent gambling harm

What’s the harm in gambling? This was the theme of the Young Leaders of the West Youth Forum hosted by VU Polytechnic at Footscray Park campus.

Young Leaders of the West is a program that supports young people, together with health and community organisations, to influence behaviour change in their peer communities to prevent gambling harm.

Hosted by IPC Health and VU Polytechnic's Community Services and Youth Work department, and supported by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the event brought together young people aged 16-18 from schools across Melbourne’s west to have their say about gambling harm and the normalisation of gambling among young people.

The forum included stories from people with lived experience of gambling harm, and discussions about the ways young people can help each other understand and prevent gambling harm. There were also transport provided for five students per school, live music and free food trucks.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this inspiring event.