Youth Support + Advocacy Service

Youth Support + Advocacy Service Helping young people overcome drug and alcohol challenges, improve their mental health, and lead healthy, fulfilling lives

31/08/2026

Today marks 25 years of International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). This year’s theme, 25 Years On. Still Needed, reflects the reality that overdose continues to affect people, families and communities across Australia.

The Penington Institute’s 2026 Australia’s Annual Overdose Report found that in 2024, unintentional drug-induced deaths in Australia reached their highest recorded level, surpassing 2,000 for the first time.

Behind every number is a person, a family and a community.

Harm reduction means making sure people have access to the support, services and information they need when they need it. This can include:

• Withdrawal services
• Residential rehabilitation
• Outreach
• Day programs
• Naloxone
• Practical harm reduction information
• Pill testing and other drug checking services

The Victorian Pill Testing Service has now been operating for more than a year, distributing more than 700 naloxone kits and testing more than 3,000 samples during that time.

There’s still work to do. Reducing stigma, listening to people with lived and living experience, and making support easier to access all matter.

Today, we remember those we’ve lost and recognise the people, services and communities working every day to prevent further deaths.

Need support?

Find your local YSAS service via the link in our bio.

Looking for naloxone? Find out where to get it via the link in our bio.

For young people seeking alcohol and other drug advice, support or information, contact YoDAA:

📞 1800 458 685
📧 [email protected]
📱 SMS 0488 826 690

YSAS

Happy Wear It Purple Day!! 🌈💜Today we’re celebrating LGBTIQA+ young people and the this year’s theme Colours of Courage....
28/08/2026

Happy Wear It Purple Day!! 🌈💜

Today we’re celebrating LGBTIQA+ young people and the this year’s theme Colours of Courage.

At YSAS, we know being yourself, asking for help and speaking up can take courage.

That’s why creating safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces and services is an important part of our work.

Through dedicated programs like The Zone and Pensula Pride and across all of YSAS, we’re working to create the right door for LGBTQIA+ young people and their loved ones to find the support that’s best for them.

24/08/2026

September is Youth Partnership Month at YSAS, which means our Ideas Days are back! 💡📝💪

Each YSAS site hosts their own Ideas Day, a group session where young people can share feedback about our sites and services, advocate for change across the broader sector, and help shape the services that support them.

$40 recognition payment
Plus pizza 🍕
👉Talk to your worker to find out when your site’s Ideas Day is happening and how to register.

Find out more about getting involved with youth participation at YSAS at the link in our bio.

It’s International Youth Day! 💚 At YSAS, young people have the opportunity to shape the things that affect them from our...
12/08/2026

It’s International Youth Day! 💚 At YSAS, young people have the opportunity to shape the things that affect them from our services and programs, to change across the broader alcohol and other drug, mental health and youth sectors. Through Youth Advisory Committees, Ideas Days, consultations and feedback, young people bring their ideas and lived / living experience and expertise to the work we do. ✨

Want to get involved? Go to the Youth Participation page on our website 👉link in our bio.

Next month is Youth Partnership Month at YSAS. Watch this space for our annual Ideas Days happening across our sites! 👀 Speak to a YSAS worker to find out how to sign up.

03/08/2026

It’s Homelessness Awareness Week 💛
When you think of homelessness, what do you picture?
For many young people across Victoria, houselessness doesn’t always look like sleeping rough. It can look like couch surfing, living in a car, or staying somewhere unsafe because there are no other options.

Youth houselessness is driven by complex issues like family violence, family breakdown, mental health challenges, financial stress, and a shortage of safe, affordable housing.

With Victoria’s state election approaching, now is the time to call for action:
🏠 More safe, affordable housing
💙 Continued funding for youth support services
🗣️ Policies that address the housing and cost of living crisis
💚An end to the stigma surrounding houselessness

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available through Frontyard Youth Services MCM , Youth Projects , Launch Housing, Opening Doors, Berry Street, Anglicare Victoria and The Salvation Army.

Head to the link in our bio to learn more about these services and where to get support.

Amphetamines are stimulant drugs that speed up messages travelling between the brain and body. Swipe for tips on staying...
22/07/2026

Amphetamines are stimulant drugs that speed up messages travelling between the brain and body.

Swipe for tips on staying as safe as you can while taking amphetamines ➡️ YoDAA is Victoria’s Youth Drug and Alcohol Advice service who can help connect you to the support you need. You can give them a call on 1800 458 685 from Monday - Friday 9am-5pm or head to yodaa.org.au for more info.

Also don’t forget you can head to the site in Fitzroy to get your drugs checked☑️

15/07/2026

Naloxone saves lives and it’s now available 24/7 from free vending machines across Victoria💜

These machines dispense nasal spray that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. No prescription is needed, you can just grab a kit and be ready to help someone in an emergency.

20 machines are currently rolling out statewide, from metro Melbourne to regional communities like Bendigo, Ballarat, and Mildura.

Head to the link in our bio to find out where you can get free Naloxone across the state.

Come along to the Third Place After School program today from 3-5pm at YSAS Dandenong. We’ll have art, games, music and ...
13/07/2026

Come along to the Third Place After School program today from 3-5pm at YSAS Dandenong. We’ll have art, games, music and snacks!

This program is for 12-17 year olds every Monday after school, there’s no need to book, just come along.

📍We’re located in the Dandenong Hub on level 3, 26 McCrae Street

For more info & updates email Sally at [email protected] or call her on 0409 451 787.

08/07/2026

Recovery works best when services work together.
 
The Hamilton Centre and Birribi, one of YSAS’s rehabilitation programs, have been working together to strengthen their youth alcohol and other drug (AOD) support. By using integrated care and building partnerships between mental health and AOD providers, the Hamilton Centre are supporting Birribi to ensure they are better equipped to support young people with their recovery, health and wellbeing.
 
Birribi offers a safe, supportive residential rehabilitation program for young people aged 16–25, providing the time, space and support to work towards their goals in a drug-free environment.
 
By working together, we’re helping more young people access the right support, at the right time, and making it easier to navigate the care they need.
 
Learn more about Birribi and the support available for young people: https://ysas.org.au/locations/birribi/

NAIDOC Week is a time to honour and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres St...
06/07/2026

NAIDOC Week is a time to honour and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It provides an opportunity for everyone in Australia to deepen their understanding of the world’s oldest continuing living cultures🖤💛❤️
 
Here at YSAS, we are taking the opportunity this NAIDOC Week to pause and genuinely reflect on culture, identity, and connection as protective factors in young people’s lives and on our own responsibility to practice in ways that are culturally safe and affirming.

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Melbourne, VIC
3000

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Thursday 9am - 5pm
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