Peer education and care at festivals and events Victoria wide. Program of Harm Reduction Victoria Top of Page Gallery Features Say Know To Drugs. Who is DanceWize? Australia's original peer lead and run AOD harm reduction event and festival care program. 1 ORGANISATION SUPPORTED BY 25 HRVIC STAFF 1 PROGRAM 3 STAFF TEAM LEADS 200 + VOLUNTEERS - FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE: STUDENTS & NURSES, TO AOD WORKERS & ARTISTS TO SOCIAL WORKERS & BAR ISTAS...BUT ALL WITH LIVING OR LIVED EXPERIENCE AND ARE FROM THE MUSIC/FESTIVAL COMMUNITY. REQUEST DANCEWIZE SERVICES AT YOUR NEXT EVENT CLICK HERE Event Managers or Promoters CLICK HERE Drug Information -SUBSTANCE INFO -DRUG COMBOS -ALERTS -MORE Volunteer for DanceWIze APPLY TO BE A DANCEWIZE KEY PEER EDUCATOR (KPE) or COUNSELLOR* CLICK HERE EST. 1999 DanceWize is the original, Australian, peer-based alcohol and other drugs (AOD) harm reduction program that delivers peer care and support services for music events and festivals across Victoria. Starting as a grassroots Victorian group known as RaveSafe, DanceWize has been a program of Harm Reduction Victoria (HRVic) since 1999 and is a Victorian Department of Health (DoH) funded health promotion charity. The DanceWize program model was adopted in NSW in 2017 and is administered there by NUAA. HRVic is part of a national network which is able to support the emergence of similar programs in other parts of the country too. This network promotes health rights, human rights and harm reduction. EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE DanceWize is a peer support and event care service. For over 20+ years we have been providing peer education, safer substance use resources and referrals for related mental & physical health and wellbeing issues in an understanding, non-judgemental safe spaces at music events and festivals throughout Victoria and Australia. Our team members come with a range of their own work and lived/living experiences. We add the perfect mix of ongoing and up to date training to their skillset to equip them to care for intoxicated persons or people who need other support in party settings. AWARD WINNING CARE As DanceWize Team Leads and Key Peer Educators (KPEs), our volunteers undergo a range of training including First Aid (HLTFA003), Mental Health First Aid and but we do not operate as a First Aid provider, as this is not the program’s objective. We work as part of an event's Health Emergency Management Plan (HEMP) and alongside health providers and other on-site services. The efficacy of this peer-based program model is evidence-based and in 2016 HRVic’s DanceWize won the Minister of Health’s award for Outstanding Achievement by Volunteers Supporting Diversity. GENDER BASED VIOLENCE & MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE EQUIPPED DanceWize have the resources to deliver full-scale peer support services on-site at a limited number of events each year, but we are designed as a public-private partnership. For example, DoH covers our core operational costs, which allows us to offer subsidised services, and event organisers are expected to contribute toward our expenses on a cost-recovery basis. Dancewize also have resources to deliver comprehensive Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Mental Health services, including pre-event training and consultation and onsite service delivery that support festivals to prevent, recognise and respond to incidents of sexual and family violence onsite. If you’d like more information about our services, get in touch today. Get in Touch WHAT PEOPLE SAY “Dear DanceWize, Your care, wisdom & sincere love held me so close to this world as I was falling out of it. Thank you so much. I am filled with gratitude & respect for your work & guidance. Huge love to DW volunteer Andrew who helped me name my future llamas and filled my eyes with love. All the best 4eva. ” — M,undisclosed event

Become a member of HRVic today. HRVic is a community run and governed organisation that specialises in combatting drug related harm.

Event Inquiry HRVic's DanceWize program is supported by the Victorian Department of Health to deliver peer-based health promotion and harm reduction education and support services for the music event and festival scene. Primary Contact Name Email Phone Continue

! !**DRUG ALERT**!! (Melbourne/Naarm, Victoria, and VIC wide) !!**COCAINE adulterated with opioid PROTONITAZENE**!! A white powder sold as cocaine in Melbourne has been found to contain the potent synthetic opioid 'protonitazene'. There have been recent serious harms in Melbourne/Naarm associated with a 'white powder' sold as COCAINE that contained the potent opioid PROTONITAZENE. The product appears to produce strong adverse effects such as loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, and life-threatening hypoxia. (lack of oxygen in your blood) Protonitazene is faster acting and is much stronger (100x) than heroin. It is important for everyone- REGARDLESS of the substance you are planning to take- to CARRY NALOXONE. **CARRY iT ON YOU!!- not keep in a cupboard at home or your glove box in the car. It could mean the difference between life and death for someone. Naloxone is a FREE, easy-to-use, easy to get medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose – it is safe to use even if you are not sure whether someone has taken opioids. HRVic does FREE naloxone administration training EVERY 1st of the month. Naloxone can be accessed at HRVic's NSP and at participating pharmacies, other needle and syringe programs and from the medically supervised injecting centre. You can find an approved naloxone provider on the Take Home Naloxone program webpage. ( https://www.health.vic.gov.au/.../victorias-take-home ... ) Protonitazene is one of the many NITAZENES that have been circulating throughout Australia over the past couple of years. Read more about the types of Nitazenes and their effects in the latest WHACK magazine OUT NOW at your local NSP. Read the Nitazenes substance specific article here: If you are an HRVic Member and have not yet received a copy in the mail, email us at info@hrvic.org.au to UPDATE YOUR MEMBERSHIP. If you have any questions or want more info visit the Dept of Health alert : https://www.health.vic.gov.au/.../cocaine-adulterated ... or HRVic's Overdose page on our website: www.hrvic.org.au/dope

A pink and white capsule sold as ‘3C-P’ in Melbourne/Naarm contains the potent opioid protonitazene. The Department of Health has issued a new Drug Alert about a pink and white capsule or white powder sold as ‘3C-P’ or in Melbourne containing the potent opioid protonitazene. Opioids are central nervous system depressants, typically producing a range of effects including pain relief, sedation and respiratory depression (dangerously slow breathing). Respiratory depression often appears more quickly with novel synthetic opioids (NSOs), increasing the risk of life-threatening overdose. Protonitazene is an extremely potent NSO, which means it can produce strong effects in very small amounts. There has been one serious recent hospitalisation in Victoria associated with this pink and white capsule. Due to the potency of NSOs, the product produces strong adverse opioid effects such as loss of consciousness, respiratory depression, and life-threatening hypoxia (insufficient oxygen for normal functioning). It’s important to know the signs of opioid overdose and to carry naloxone to reverse opioid overdose-even if you don't plan to take opioids. HRVic has naloxone available for FREE from our NSP at 299-305 Victoria St Brunswick. We also have naloxone training EVERY 1st of the month ONLINE for FREE at 4:30pm. See website for details (www.hrvic.org.au/training) We can also do one on one training with you if you don't know how to use, when you come to pick up. Or check out our info on naloxone on our 'Recognise & Respond to Overdose' page. Anyone who experiences adverse drug effects or is present when someone has an unexpected reaction to a drug should seek help immediately by calling Triple Zero (000). See DoH drug alerts here: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/.../protonitazene-sold-as-3c-p