We are absolutely thrilled that Marlene Kairouz MP and Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards have just announced $100,000 to allow us to work with refugee communities in Bendigo, Anglicare Victoria and the City of Greater Bendigo to look at tackling the risk of gambling becoming an issue with new arrivals.
The announcement was made at the Discovery Centre in Bendigo where the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation is holding a Knowledge in Action workshop.
To our knowledge there are no known Karen translated problem gambling and gaming resources in Victoria and this project will change that.
We want a better understanding about how gambling can impact on the refugee population with the aim of developing culturally-responsive translated resources as part of an early intervention model.
The project will employ a bilingual worker of refugee lived experience to ensure refugee communities in Bendigo are consulted every step of the way and education sessions around the possible harmful effects and impacts of gaming and gambling use the right content to reach their full potential.
It's our hope this project will create a pilot model for Victoria.
Time to get started!