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Peer Power: Liberton S3’s lead the way on vaping awareness
We recently had the pleasure of supporting an inspiring project led by a group of S3 pupils from Liberton High School. As part of their work around peer education, these young people took the lead in creating and delivering sessions all about vaping, to P7 pupils from Liberton’s feeder primary schools. The goal? To raise…
Read MorePlaying to win with SPFL Trust’s Off the Bench ProgrammeÂ
 The Going Forward team are delighted to have rekindled our long-term partnership relationship with the SPFL Trust’s Off the Bench Programme. We recently caught up with Erin McPhillie, SPFL Trust’s CashBack Off the Bench Delivery Officer to talk about our partnership! The Fast Forward workshop sessions continue to: complement and enhance the work of the…
Read MoreYouth Work (Scotland) Bill – April update
Over the last few months we have been helping raise awareness of the proposed Youth Work (Scotland) Bill, sharing information across our communication channels. The legislation aims to embed youth work as a statutory service, ensuring equitable provision for all young people and addressing longstanding disparities in access and support. If enacted, the legislation would establish…
Read More“Pushing Your Luck” with The Rock Trust & Tinderbox Collective
About the Project The project was created in collaboration with the young people/game designers from Rock Trust with support from Fast Forward and Tinderbox Collective. Our team thrive in collaborating with other charities and organisations who share similar passions and ethos to Fast Forward. When we got the opportunity to work together, we jumped at…
Read MoreNo Smoking Day 2025, and times are changing, just like Big Tobacco products
No Smoking Day 2025 – or should it be No Nicotine/Tobacco Day? Ever since Fast Forward was established in 1987, our focus has been around young people and risk taking behaviours. Alongside alcohol and substances, tobacco use has consistently been a huge part of our work. Inspired by Ash Scotland’s recent No Smoking Day on…
Read MoreRoma community toolkit launched!
We are delighted to publish our Roma toolkit, coproduced with women from within the community, to help anyone supporting the Roma community around gambling harm. Through our partnership with The Space, we knew that members of the Roma community in Scotland were already at risk of gambling harm, even though virtually no research had been carried…
Read MoreThe Love Lottery: How dating apps use gambling mechanics to keep you playing
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, and while it’s a time for romance for many, others are finding the search for love has become more like a game, and an expensive one at that. With the rise of dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, finding a match can feel like spinning a wheel of…
Read MoreGambling strain on cash and relationships for young gamers
Survey reveals impact of high-cost video game purchases A survey by Young Scot and Fast Forward has revealed the financial toll of in-game purchases with nearly a quarter of young gamers admitting to gambling while playing video games. The survey, which assessed gaming habits over the past year, found that 91% of the 406 respondents…
Read More“Know yourself, grow yourself.” Children’s mental health week 2025
Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 is taking place now, from the 3rd-9th of February, marking the 10th anniversary of this important initiative led by Place2Be. This year’s theme, “Know Yourself, Grow Yourself”, encourages young people to better understand their emotions and develop healthy coping strategies to build resilience. Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 has…
Read MoreNew podcast series – Nadine’s Story
11th December 2024 We’re excited to share that we’ve just launched the Scottish Gambling Education Hub’s latest “Let’s Hae a Wee Blether Aboot Gambling in Scotland” podcast. Nadine Ashworth joined our team recently to take us through her journey from the lows, where she felt helpless and unable to stop gambling, right through to the…
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