What/Who is DanceWIze?
DanceWize is Australia's original, by peer for peer run party-centric harm reduction service. We deliver peer 2 peer substance specific 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 partially funded by the Victorian Department of Health (DoH).
So successful is the DanceWize model that peer run drug user organisations across Australia have trialled and adopted the model. In 2017, NUAA started and administered it's own spin off-DanceWize NSW.
HRVic is part of a national network of peer based drug user orgs which are 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.
Are you having an event or
require another DanceWize service?
The DanceWize program model utilises peer-based support to deliver education, provide resources and referrals about safer drug use,
harm reduction related health and wellbeing issues at music events and festivals.
Our team members have appropriate training and living/ lived-experience to care for intoxicated persons or people who need other support in event and festival settings.
Our Team Leads and Key Peer Educators and carers (KPEs) undergo a range of training including First Aid (HLTFA003), 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) 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.
Our
Services
01
Brief Interventions &
Peer Education
The DW Brief Interventions generally take place at the front of house of the DW Chill Space. consist of peer to peer support to deliver non judgemental, up to date, real information around substances and safer using education, provide resources and referrals around safer drug use, and related health and wellbeing issues at music events and festivals. Partygoers and event staff can access extensive substance information, free health and safer using education, peer support, relevant referrals, harm reduction and health supplies. See our Resources List for a comprehensive overview.
03
Mobile Interventions & Roving
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05
Service Name
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02
Care Interventions &
Chill Space
The DW Chill Space located in close proximity to the on-site medical where trained KPEs provide support for intoxicated persons experiencing distress, provide a safe space for victims of sexual assault/harassment, and deliver an integrated reciprocal referral model for care with the onsite medical/first aid provider. All patrons are assessed and managed in accordance with strict protocols and in collaboration with the on-site medical team. See our Triage and Care Protocols for further information.
04
Gender Based Violence & Mental Health Service
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Provision of a separate safe space behind the DanceWize Chill Space
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Provision of qualified counsellors who work collaboratively with EMT’s to manage risk of wider festival safety
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Temporary accommodation options
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Resources, and expert counselling and advocacy support provided to people in care
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Ability to engage with local CASA, to assess their ability to be present onsite with a resource table as part of DanceWize GBV Service
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Ability for counsellors to provide secondary consultation and debriefing to all event staff and volunteers who may have witnessed GBV or have been a first responder
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Ability for counsellors to respond to other festival incidents at request of EMT
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Provision of active bystander rovers, who role model bystander intervention and provide education about consent
*Please Note:
Completing this request does not mean that you have booked DanceWize for your event.
An HRVic staff member/DanceWize Coordinator will reply to you ASAP to confirm receipt of your request & discuss your needs further.
The demand for the DanceWize team is Very high.
We are booked 6-12months in advance.
We appreciate that sometimes "stuff happens" and things are overlooked when planning events and we will do our best to fit in last minute requests but are very, VERY limited to what we can take on at short notice. Please keep this in mind.
DanceWize is an unfunded program run by Harm Reduction Victoria.
If you wish to possibly enhance our capacity to take more bookings, please feel free to donate. ;-)