Spreading the word about responsible partying to keep school leavers safe

Remarkable. Generous. Leader

For the past 18 years, Hayden Glass has been keeping an ever-increasing number of young people safe in Western Australia.

He is the coordinator of the WA branch of Red Frog, which promotes healthy partying behaviours.

Hayden leads the volunteer teams and is responsible for their pastoral care, ensuring they are well enough to serve others without it taking a toll on their own mental health.

He also engages with the community and in 2018 spoke to fifteen thousand school leavers about making healthy choices about alcohol and other intoxicants.

Hayden has grown the number of volunteers in WA from 20 to 200 and has expanded the program beyond the school gates to music festivals, sporting events and universities.

“Our presence at events means young people know there are a group of people who have their back if something goes wrong,” he says.

Hayden says it’s a little overwhelming to have been voted a Westfield local hero.

“It’s a massive privilege and an honour to be recognised by the community for work that I do that I love.”

Hayden’s infectious enthusiasm for changing the youth alcohol and party culture has won the praise of past school leavers and the police. And he has also pioneered Red Frog teams in Malaysia, Singapore and India.

While Red Frog’s primary target is young people, they are not the only ones who benefit, says Hayden.

“We allay parents’ fears when they know we will be present at festivals, and we contribute to the safety of all attendees at events.” One security manager told him that every Red Frogger is worth two security guards.

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. Red Frog will use its grant to extend its outreach to more schools and student housing organisations in the Perth CBD and at Edith Cowan University.

__For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here. __