📣Join the Scottish Gambling Education Hub for an interactive, free webinar exploring the risks and harms of gambling and gaming affecting children, young people and families. 📚 Open to anyone working in youth services, family services or formal education in Scotland Sign up here: bit.ly/4yIYzK4

Join Simon Community Scotland, Fast Forward and the RCA Trust for a half-day event tailored for frontline professionals to learn how to take meaningful action on gambling harms! 📍 The Helensburgh And Lomond Civic Centre 📅 Thurs Sept 24th, 1-4:30pm 📌 Sign up: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-aware...

From Awareness to Action

Equipping Professionals to Recognise and Respond to Gambling Harms.

eventbrite.co.uk

🚨 Application deadline approaching! There’s still time to join our team as one of our new Project Officers! 📍 Full-time | Hybrid 💵 £27,516 ⏰ Applications close Monday 24 August at 12 noon Questions? Contact: dina@fastforward.org.uk To apply ➡️ fastforward.org.uk/work-with-us/

Aged 10–24 and have experienced gambling harm yourself or through someone close to you? 📣Make your voice heard at three upcoming online discussions taking place over the next 4 months. Interested? Scan the QR code or complete the online opt-in form.

Deadline extended 📣There's still time to apply for our two exciting project officer roles! 📌 Locations: Highlands and Islands; Edinburgh or Ayrshire and South Scotland (hybrid) ⏰Full-Time 💼 £27,516 🗓️ New application deadline: Monday 24th August, 12 Noon Apply here: fastforward.org.uk/work-with-us/

📚Out and about in Glasgow? Pop into the Byres Community Hub to pick pick up a copy of our new Parent Booklet: A Parent's Story: Chatting about reducing gaming and gambling harm! Alternatively digital/audio copies can be found on our website, gamblingeducationhub.fastforward.org.uk/resource/a-p...

✅ Are you 13–25, LGBTQ+ and living in Scotland? 📣 Work with young people? Take the Life in Scotland for LGBTQ+ Young People survey (ages 13–25) or share it directly with your networks! Every response helps turn lived experience into change✨ app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/lgbtys/lif...

Life in Scotland for LGBTQ+ Young People 2026 | Online surveys

Online surveys is a powerful, easy to use tool for creating online surveys. Run by Jisc, Online surveys is used by over 300 different organisations in the UK...

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk

As excitement builds for the World Cup, we’ll be taking the next few weeks to highlight issues that can come with match day, including betting culture, alcohol use, and masculinity. We asked the Fast Forward team who they’re supporting and how they’ll be coping. Join us as we #CopeWithTheWorldCup.

Join us at our stall at the upcoming Armed Forces Big Day Out at Edinburgh Napier University this Saturday, 20th June from 12-4pm! Come along and chat to a member from our team to find out more about who we are and the work that we do at Fast Forward. We hope to see you there!

📣Reminder that our next PIPS Network meeting is taking place on Tuesday 16th of June, 1-3pm via MS Teams‼️ We have the pleasure of welcoming students from Florida University, USA, to present their research findings. We look forward to seeing you there! Register➡️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pips-netwo...

PIPS Network Meeting - Exploring the findings from UofF students research.

UofF students will be presenting their findings followed by a Q&A session.

eventbrite.co.uk

We are delighted to announce that we have secured funding from Scottish Government's gambling Policy Team from the statutory levy on the gambling inductry to continue our work in Scotland until 2029! See the attached photos for more information.

🎉 Festival of Peer Inspiration 2026 📅 Save the date - 14th May 📍 Edinburgh College - Sighthill Campus We are excited to get together to celebrate the achievements of the young people we've worked with in the past year and plant the seed of just what could be possible in the upcoming year!

🚭 #NoSmokingDay! The theme for 2026 is 'Quit and Win' - encouraging people who smoke to quit and win with their physical health, mental wellbeing and personal finances when they leave tobacco behind. ➡️ ashscotland.org.uk/no-smoking-d... #NSD26 #youthwork #risktakingbehaviour #scotland #vaping

No Smoking Day - ASH Scotland

No Smoking Day takes place on the 11th March in 2026. Download our digital assets and images and raise awareness of the harms of tobacco.

ashscotland.org.uk

Heard of '#chroming'? An 11 year old died from inhaling toxic fumes after videos showing dangerous online trend were seen by friends. His mother claimed it was linked to a deadly TikTok challenge called ‘chroming’ www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article... #risktakingbehaviour #youthwork #scotland

Boy, 11, died from inhaling fumes 'after friends saw videos of craze'

Tommie-lee Gracie Billington collapsed on a bed with a Lynx can by his side during a sleepover at a friend's house in Lancaster in March 2024.

dailymail.co.uk

We are passionate about #onlinesafety and to support #CyberScotlandWeek we're sharing our shiny new 'A Parent's Story' booklet and audio book 📖 gamblingeducationhub.fastforward.org.uk/resource/a-p... Created by our team to help keep young people safe online - free to download, check it out!

A parent's story: Chatting about reducing gaming and gambling harm - Scottish Gambling Education Hub

To download a pdf booklet, click A-Parents-Story-Booklet To listen to the audio version, please click play.

gamblingeducationhub.fastforward.org.uk

New 🎉 ASH Scotland Resource Pack for Youth Work Settings A new, free tobacco-free generation resource pack. Evidence based resource suitable for youth workers and other professionals working with young people. ashscotland.org.uk/tobacco-free... #youthwork #community #risktakingbehaviour

Tobacco-free Generation Youth Pack - ASH Scotland

Download our Tobacco-Free Youth Pack and get free resources for young people. Find ways to communicate the harms of smoking, vaping and nicotine.

ashscotland.org.uk

💫Welcome Week @andemoore.bsky.social and Leigh out and about at Ayrshire College and Forth Valley College this week. Brilliant to spend time with RCA Trust, Kooth and Action Against Stalking - learning more about their great work! #community #youthwork #scotland

Last week, over 60 Labour MPs have called on the prime minister to impose a ban on under-16s access to social media platforms. Could an Australian-style #socialmedia ban for under-16s be on the cards in the UK? #youthwork #risktakingbehaviour www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/l...

BBC News - UK to Consult on Social Media Ban for Under 16s

Consultation is part of measures intended to 'protect young people's wellbeing'.

bbc.co.uk

🔵 Blue Monday 🔵 Today, January’s third Monday, commonly known as #BlueMonday - is thought to be the most depressing day of the year - but is it really? We should be thinking about our mental health every day of the year.... www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-ment... #youthwork #Scotland

What does Blue Monday mean for our mental health?

January’s third Monday, “Blue Monday”, is thought to be the most depressing day of the year. Spoiler: it isn’t. Let’s look after our mental health against commercial influences.

mentalhealth.org.uk

@youngscot.bsky.social have launched Truth About Youth survey. Aged 11-25? It gives #youngpeople the chance to share what life in #Scotland really looks like for them. Please share to reach as many people as possible! youngscot.net/news-databas... #youthwork #risktakingbehaviour #community

National survey explores the issues that matter most to young people - Young Scot Corporate

Young people can help shape their own future by taking part in our Truth About Youth survey and sharing their views to help Young Scot and partners design services that reflect what matters most to th...

youngscot.net

Join us and our friends at the RCA TRUST, Simon Community Scotland, Cyrenians & GamCare - Scotland Community Gambling Harms Roundtable 📍 Broomhill Gardens and Community Hub Greenock 🗓️ Wednesday February 4th at 10am www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/community-... We look forward to welcoming you!

Community Gambling Harms Roundtable- Inverclyde

Working Together to Address Gambling Harm

eventbrite.co.uk

It was with great sadness that we learned that Simon Jaquet, our 1st CEO, died last week. Simon was instrumental in setting Fast Forward up in 1987, and in it becoming a respected and valued national youth work organisation. fastforward.org.uk/5733-2/

The mum of a girl who died while copying a "horrible" social media trend is calling for children to be taught about the dangers of solvent abuse 1 of the reasons it's not just crucial to talk to young people about #risktakingbehaviour-but also to #listen #youthwork www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Mum's plea after daughter, 13, died copying social media trend

Sonia Hopkin says her daughter had been trying to replicate videos she had seen on TikTok.

bbc.co.uk

We travel across #Scotland talking about #risktakingbehaviour to #young people at #school and #youth groups Get in touch if we can help :) #risktakingbehaviours #informeddecisions #snusdiscussed #nicotineawareness #internetsafety #gambling #scotland #gaming

Ande Moore (Youth Worker)@andemoore.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Beautiful train journey through to Inverkip Primary School yesterday to deliver @fastforwardscot.bsky.social workshops to their P6s and 7s. #risktakingbehaviours #informeddecisions #snusdiscussed #nicotineawareness #internetsafety #gambling #scotland #gaming

Some people love the festivities & run up to Christmas but it can be a tough time for others. The opening of The Nook in #Glasgow by @samhscotland.bsky.social is brilliant. Open 7 days a week, appointment free to anyone age 10+ looking for mental health support. news.stv.tv/west-central...

Scotland’s first walk-in mental health support hub opens

The Nook, run by Scottish Action for Mental Health, offers assistance seven days a week.

news.stv.tv

More research showing that early education is key around #risktakingbehaviours - we can help!

Cyrenians Scottish Centre for Conflict Resolution@sccrcentre.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Researchers at @cam.ac.uk have showed that the neurological changes adolescence ushers in might in fact first start when we're around 9-years-old and that the brain stays in the adolescent phase until our early thirties when we 'peak'. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#Movember 2025 is coming to a close.. It challenges outdated beliefs that men should be strong & keep it together, promoting the message that expressing vulnerability is never a flaw. Open conversations & reaching out are not a sign of weakness but strength! fastforward.org.uk/marvellous-m...

Fast Forward PIPS Network Meeting & #AGM 💻 Online 🗓️ 15th January ⏰ From 4pm Join us at Fast Forward’s AGM & find out more about our activities over the past year with a focus on healthy masculinity Click for tickets👇 bit.ly/4prbJXk #risktakingbehaviour #scotland #youthwork #gamblingharm

👋 Some brilliant feedback from our work with Morgan Stanley and Pilotlight "Fast Forward have benefitted from being able to draw the team's wide range of experience, and we were delighted to share our progress." #partnership #thirdsector #scotland #risktakingbehaviour

Such sad news coming from the west coast - #drugs continues to be huge talking point at our school sessions www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottis...

Devastated mum of girl who died in suspected drug death pays tribute to daughter

Samantha Curley paid an emotional tribute to her "kind daughter," Olivia, 11, who passed away on Monday after she was rushed to hospital.

dailyrecord.co.uk