General News
16 April, 2025
Horsham youth team at FReeZA summit
Horsham’s Youth team shared the spotlight at the Annual FReeZA Summit at Melbourne Recital Centre on April 9, presenting some of their most impactful community projects to nearly 300 attendees across Victoria.
The summit, which brings together FReeZA Youth Committees for a day of workshops, collaboration and information sharing, featured a showcase of Horsham’s achievements over the past year.
The highlights were the Pride Prom event, a creative art installation at the Horsham Skate Park, and a live music performance during the 2024 ProMX Championship.
Youth Services Planning and Engagement officer Alicia Drew said the experience was rewarding and unexpected.
“It was exciting and a bit of a shock. It was nice to have our work recognised and enjoyed by our peers,” she said.
The team’s presentation also sparked interest from other youth committees.
“We’ve had other committees ask us how we approached projects and if we can provide insight for them to do similar things,” Ms Drew added.
Among those in attendance was Minister for Youth, Veterans, Small Business and Employment, Natalie Suleyman, who spoke about the future of youth employment, FReeZA programming and the importance of keeping young people actively engaged in their communities.
FreeZA is a Victorian government initiative to support all ages drug, alcohol and smoke-free entertainment for 15 to 25-year-olds.