Our Journey so Far
Summer 2018
8 young people lost their lives from adulterated drugs in the summer of 2018-19, and stigma and criminalisation was stopping many of their fellow young partygoers from speaking up.
We launched the #BeHeardNotHarmed campaign in Melbourne and Sydney to elevate young people's voices in the pill testing debate.
Autumn 2019
We held events and parties, and led outreach at festivals and on campuses to reach young people.
Our volunteers spoke at policy forums, music festival and police industry events about the need for more youth representation and involvement.
Winter 2019
We began recruiting Student Unions and local councils to advocate for pill testing.
Spring 2019
We petitioned members of Parliament in Victoria, NSW and WA.
We received a peer award to present at the Contemporary Drug Problems conference, Italy, speaking to Australian and international researchers.
Summer 2020
We expanded our policy demands to fight against sniffer dogs, overpolicing at festivals, and more funding for harm reduction services like DanceWize.
We co-organised a pill testing rally in Sydney with Unharm and Keep Sydney Open.
We held a Know Your Rights event in Melbourne to help punters prepare for over policing during festival season.
We started holding Know Your Rights and Advocacy workshops at festivals in Victoria.
Closed for Advocacy because COVID
Summer 2022
After a rough couple of years through Covid, the campaign lay dormant, as did many a dancefloors… But it’s time to kick things off again. We have started working on a new and comprehensive campaign plan for meaningful and effective outcomes for our communties in 2023 and beyond.
We have launched a new #BeHeardNotHarmed Survey to make sure our advocacy strategy is informed by you, the community.
We have also launched a ‘Share Your Story’ portal, to gather powerful community stories that can help shift the narrative around people who use drugs.