To make a difference to the health outcomes of children and young people, and to work with children and young people to create safe supportive environments
For children and young people to grow and live in environments that consider their needs.
Credible research into strategies to provide safe and supportive environments for young people during youth events is important to promote community safety. Professor Alison Hutton's work, at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, revolves around young people, health promotion and harm reduction. Youth events including outdoor music festivals, and Schoolies comprise a significant proportion of all mass gatherings in Australia each year. Her research has shown that a combination of strategies such as dry zones, on-site first aid, supportive volunteer presence, free water and pastoral care can support young people to party safely and reduce hospitalisations.
Professor Hutton is recognised as a world leader in mass gathering health and research. She is the current the chair of the Mass Gathering section of the World Association for Disaster Emergency Medicine (WADEM) and also the Vice president community of practice. She is a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Mass Gathering Collaborating centre for High Visibility/High Risk Events and is a member of the VIAG – the WHOs, virtual inter-disciplinary advisory group, which is invitation only to mass gathering experts around the globe.
