PEOPLE who have personal experience of online gambling are being asked to share their stories to help others.
Launched by the Gambling Impact Society (GIS), the Lived Experience Project aims to help the community better understand the potential negative impacts of online gambling by hearing from people with first-hand experience.
Recruiting people who have either had their own experiences with online gambling problems or who’ve had family members affected, those chosen will undertake free professional training later this year to become community educators.
The project’s participants will then conduct one-hour community education sessions in partnership with local Gambling Help services aimed at raising awareness, as well as inspiring others who need help to find it.
GIS executive officer Kate Roberts said starting a conversation can help de-stigmatise the subject of problem gambling and encourage people who are suffering in silence to reach out for help.
“It’s common for people at risk of gambling harm to relate easily to others who have experienced what they are going through and overcome their problem,” she said.
Office of Responsible Gambling director, Natalie Wright, says the project will build awareness of the harm that can be experienced by some people from online gambling, as well as encouraging those who might be struggling to seek help.
For more information, call Barbara Bicego on 0400 661 637 or visit ginsw.org.au.
