Victorian community groups work to protect from harms

Groups like the Linking Melton South LDAT and the Chin Community Western Partnerships LDAT know that with knowledge and community support, anything is possible.

Find out a bit more about the work they do, and how the Community Hub resources have helped shape their activities.

The Linking Melton South Local Drug Action Team is up to their third Community Action Plan. The LDAT was established in 2014 and has three priority areas. One of those is placemaking and beautification. Another is celebrations and events, and the third is service integration, helping people to access the services they need.

Ben Taylor, from the self-promotion team at Djerriwarrh Health Services, counts the the Dream Big Festival in February as his LDAT highlight since coming on to lead the team in 2016.

“It was the first event of its size that happened in the local area in 2021 because it was a week after a lockdown. For that time of year, and for everyone still unsure about re-engaging, the fact that we were able to get about 600-700 people there was an achievement,” said Ben.

The purpose of the event was to promote social connections and support, an important goal at a time when a lot of people are socially isolated.

The alcohol and drug-free festival involved sharing community artwork, and a range of activities for families to get involved in such as craft activities, kite flying and slideshow events. There were food trucks and a free barbecue.

To get events like Dream Big running, the LDAT utilises volunteers. The Involving Volunteers Toolkit on the Community Hub was a useful guide for the team to help them meet this challenge.

Advice to other community prevention teams

Ben says that a solid planning process and evaluation is important for any LDAT or community group looking to prevent AOD harms.

“Build connections with local providers, councils and government as well as already established community groups. Make sure that projects are being community driven… it’s important to make sure that you've got an established network, or you've done some consultation with community members, to identify what the needs and priority areas should be and what the project should focus on,” he said.

Adaptability is also an important skill for Ben and his team in making sure their Community Action Plan activities are received well by the community.

“It can mean changing the way that the project operates, bouncing ideas off the community or re-assessing what the focus is, or how it's running in some capacity. Just responding to something and reacting to it, making sure that it makes sense.”

The Chin Community Western Partnership LDAT works on prevention of harms from alcohol and other drugs in the western suburbs of Melbourne, specifically within the Chin community. They focus on parents and young people. The one-year project was extended with additional funding for another six months.

One of the main LDAT activities is the Chin community centre, which holds soccer and volleyball competitions to bring the community together and to engage young people in such activities. They provide eight sessions of training to young people to increase their access to sport.

The LDAT also distributes resources online so it’s accessible, such as video content and information to parents about AOD.

Prevention an important topic

Dawt Tha Sung Thang Eng, Bi-Cultural Worker at cohealth, says that wanting to help other people is a big part of why she continues to work with the community. Sstigma around alcohol, other drugs and mental health is a challenge in the Chin community. Stigma is a major barrier for people seeking help, which is why it’s important for the LDAT to talk about prevention and how to get support.

“I definitely think is important because personally, in our community, we don't really talk about it. Majority of us, I can tell you that we might not have a clear knowledge or a deep knowledge about the insights of alcohol within our body, our physical health, as well as mental health and social health,” Dawt Tha said.

“From the community point of view, there was a lot of discomfort around it. There’s a stigma talking about it to anyone, they might think ‘we don't talk about this in our community’.”

For this LDAT, bringing the community into the planning discussion to find out what they want and need is key. The LDAT proposals were based on consultation from the Chin community in Melbourne’s west.

Dawt Tha also encourages other community groups to consult the Toolkits on the Community Hub.

“They have very simple steps that you can easily follow,” she said.