Red Frogs

{{Short description|Australian Christian charitable organisation}} {{Other uses|Red frog (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox organization | name = Red Frogs | type = Christian charitable organisation | founded = {{Start date|df=yes|1997}}<ref name="about">{{cite web|year=2008|title=About Us|url=http://redfrogs.com.au/universities/history/about-us|publisher=Red Frogs Australia Chaplaincy Network}}</ref> | founder = Andy Gourley<ref name="contact">{{cite web|url=http://www.redfrogs.com.au/universities/contact-us/contact-us |title=Contact Us |publisher=Red Frogs Australia Chaplaincy Network |year=2008}}</ref> | website = {{URL|redfrogs.com.au}} }}

'''Red Frogs''' is a Christian youth charity founded in Australia and run by volunteers known as the 'Red Frogs Crew' that has expanded into at least nine other countries including Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. The volunteers participate in events that are attended by school leavers and university students such as schoolies week,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Red Frogs 'friends in the crowd' for Schoolies - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2012/11/23/3639365.htm|access-date=2021-08-18|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref> as well as sporting events and concerts,<ref name=meet>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/meet-the-man-committed-to-saving-schoolies-one-red-frog-at-a-time/ppb49s6u5|work=SBS Food|title=Meet the man committed to saving Schoolies - one red frog at a time|first=Lauren|last=Sams|date=29 November 2017|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> providing safeguarding actions.<ref name=besties/>

Since 2004, confectionary company Allen's has donated over 24 tonnes of their red frog lollies every year. Red Frogs is the largest harm reduction program in Australia.<ref name=meet/>

==History== In 1997, founder Andy Gourley attended schoolies week on the Gold Coast with some of his friends and saw binge drinking and illicit drug taking place. Gourley gathered a group of young volunteers to provide chaplaincy support for the school leavers. They took a packet of red frogs bought from a local convenience store to a party and found it was a "game-changer" in connecting with the young people they wanted to support.<ref name=meet/>

In 2004,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://redfrogs.com.au/about/history|title=Milestones|publisher=Red Frogs Australia|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> a sponsorship arrangement was made with Allen's who now donate all 24 tonnes of the lollies used by Red Frogs in Australia each year.<ref name=meet/> A Nestlé spokesperson said in 2017, "It’s a huge commitment for us, but it’s also a no-brainer. Helping kids stay safe is really important."<ref name=meet/>

In a 2010 interview, Gourley stated: "Schoolies to me... really [is] safeguarding a generation of Australia's next leaders... It's building a fence at the top of the cliff, rather than being an ambulance at the bottom."<ref name="doco">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iz3bIn49i8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705173313/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iz3bIn49i8 |archive-date=2014-07-05 |url-status=dead|title=Red Frogs Documentary |publisher=Red Frogs Crew |date=1 March 2011}}</ref>

==Activities== Schoolies week is the Red Frog Crew's main event each year. The week-long holiday can often be a place of binge drinking and increased risk of sexual assault, hospitalisation, and arrests.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/sex-drugs-and-alcohol-what-really-goes-on-at-schoolies/olxy61bsw|publisher=SBS News|title=Sex, drugs and alcohol: what really goes on at schoolies?|first1=Amy|last1=Pennay|first2=Dan|last2=Lubman|first3=Nic|last3=Droste|date=28 November 2013}}</ref><ref name=sharing>{{cite web|url=https://www.salvosonline.org.au/post/sharing-the-love-with-a-red-frog|title=Sharing the love with a red frog|publisher=Salvos Online|date=27 February 2023|first=Anthony|last=Castle|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> Red Frogs volunteers offer to walk schoolies home at the end of a night, help those who are sick, cook pancakes, visit and clean rooms, and offer emotional support.<ref name=schoolies>{{cite web|url=https://www.echo.net.au/2025/12/schoolies-is-on-and-red-frogs-are-hopping/|title=‘Schoolies’ is on and Red Frogs are hopping|first=Pancho|last=Symes|work=Byron Echo|date=5 December 2025|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> Over 1,500 volunteers provide safety and support across various Schoolies locations.<ref name=sharing/><ref name=schoolies/> They work in partnership with police and other agencies to help ensure a safe event.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/goldcoast/2016/12/05/ribbiting-time-working-red-frogs-schoolies/|publisher=Queensland Police|title=Ribbiting time working with Red Frogs at Schoolies|date=5 December 2016|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref>

The Red Frogs Crew are involved with universities at Orientation Week, events, and residential colleges.<ref name=sharing/><ref name=allens>{{cite web|url=https://www.allenslollies.com.au/red-frogs-australia|title=Red Frogs Australia|publisher=Allens Lollies}}</ref> They also volunteer at sporting events,<ref name=allens/> concerts,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/red-frogs-are-keeping-taylor-swift-fans-safe-before-sydney-concert-20240223-p5f7cm.html|title='Red Frogs' are keeping Taylor Swift fans safe before Sydney concert|date=23 February 2024|access-date=6 March 2026|work=Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> and music festivals,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theaureview.com/music/good-things-melbourne-review/|title=Good Things kicks off with a bang in Melbourne, despite last-minute lineup changes|first=Sarah|last=Duggan|date=6 December 2025|work=The AU Review|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> offering food, water, sunscreen, red frogs, and a supportive presence,<ref name=sharing/> serving and safeguarding around 1.4 million young people per year.<ref name=allens/>

Red Frogs has a 1300 hotline number, which the organisation promotes in schools throughout the year as a kind of lifeline for those in need of support.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eternitynews.com.au/archive/10-tonnes-red-frogs-leap-faith-schoolies-revellers/|work=Eternity News|title=1- Tonnes of red Frogs and a Leap of Faith for Schoolies Revellers|date=15 November 2013|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> Since 2018, they have also used a mobile app for students to request assistance from a volunteer at Schoolies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/schoolies-2018-thousands-of-school-leavers-celebrate-first-night-on-gold-coast/d96cd292-e3d6-490f-944d-90f208d81aef|publisher=9 News|title=Schoolies 2018: Thousands of school-leavers celebrate first night on Gold Coast|date=18 November 2018|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> It was noted by the Queensland Parliament that at the 2024 Schoolies Festival on the Gold Coast, there were 3,508 calls to the hotline and 2,500 requests through the app.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/com/SDIWC-1AF9/C20252026-4826/2025_07_31_EstimatesSDC.pdf|title=Estimates—Housing and Public Works; Youth|page=39|date=31 July 2025|access-date=6 March 2026|publisher=Queensland Parliament}}</ref>

==Impact== The organisation's own 2023 impact report found that they had supported over 1.2 million people throughout the year with AUD$5.3 million worth of volunteer hours at Schoolies festivals.<ref name=report>{{cite web|url=https://redfrogs.com.au/uploads/RF-2023-Impact-Report.pdf|title=Safeguarding a Generation: 2023 Impact Report Australia & New Zealand|publisher=Red Frogs Australia|year=2023|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> They also educated over 54,000 school students through 612 high school education programs and supported over 1,000 university events.<ref name=report/> Independent advisory company Pluri undertook a 2004 survey in New Zealand that "highlighted the tangible impact the organisation had on student wellbeing, connection, decision making and safety at events".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/central-otago/survey-backs-work|title=Survey backs work|first=Julie|last=Asher|date=17 October 2025|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=Otago Daily Times}}</ref>

Queensland Minister for Youth Sam O'Connor said in the state's parliament that the organisation "is a great value-for-money harm reduction measure that is making a difference".<ref>{{cite web| url=https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/events/han/2025/2025_04_02_WEEKLY.pdf|page=717|title=Record of Proceedings|publisher=Queensland Parliament|date=2 April 2025|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> Writing in ''The Daily Telegraph'', Gillian McNally said Red Frogs Australia has "helped change the face of Schoolies, shaping a peer-led culture where mates look out for mates."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/rippleeffect/drugs/how-red-frogs-volunteers-are-helping-keeping-schoolies-safe/news-story/3c7019d5b66ffa46af96014f9a433ac4|title=How Red Frogs volunteers are helping keeping Schoolies safe|date=26 November 2019|access-date=7 March 2026|first=Gillian|last=McNally|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> The Australian Government said it would partner with the organisation in its digital safety campaign about the risks of alcohol consumption while travelling, launched in response to the 2024 Laos methanol poisoning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mediaweek.com.au/government-launches-alcohol-safety-campaign-targeting-young-travellers-after-methanol-tragedy/|publisher=Media Week|title=Government launches alcohol safety campaign targeting young travellers after methanol tragedy|first=Emma|last=Shepherd|date=24 March 2025|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref>

Andy Gourley was a finalist in the "Local Hero" category for the 2015 Queensland Australian of the Year awards for his role in founding the organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-07/finalists-for-queensland-australian-of-the-year-announced/5793438|title=Queensland Australian of the Year awards: Finalist Andy Gourley rubs shoulders with Terri Irwin, Jonathan Thurston|first=Patrick|last=Williams|date=7 October 2014|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=ABC News}}</ref>

In 2019, University of Queensland researchers undertook a study of Red Frogs' pre-Schoolies education program delivered to over 30,000 year 12 students and found "tentative evidence that educating high school leavers on safe partying behaviours through a brief intervention may result in small reductions in problematic alcohol use and improved wellbeing."<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.12920|title=Impact of a brief psychoeducational intervention for reducing alcohol use and related harm in school leavers|first1=Catherine A.|last1=Quinn|first2=Leanne|last2=Hides|first3=Dominique|last3=de Andrade|first4=Nina|last4=Pocuca|first5=Megan|last5=Wilson|first6=David J.|last6=Kavanagh|journal=Drug and Alcohol Review|date=1 April 2019|volume=38|issue=4|pages=339-348}}</ref>

== International expansion == Red Frogs has spread to at least nine countries,<ref name=meetNZ/> including Bali, Fiji, and Vanuatu.<ref name=besties>{{cite web|url=https://www.saferschoolies.qld.gov.au/schoolies/schoolies-tips/red-frogs|author=Red Frogs Australia|publisher=Queensland Government|title=Red Frogs: Your besties at Schoolies|date=29 September 2025|access-date=6 March 2026}}</ref> In the United Kingdom, they have been active at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/news/13104/|title=Simba has international appeal as virtual campus tour guide|date=13 June 2019|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=University of Aberdeen}}</ref> and Cardiff University in Wales.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fusionmovement.org/articles/they-call-themselves-the-red-frogs|first=James|last=Hewitt|title=They Call Themselves The Red Frogs|date=30 June 2011|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=Fusion UK}}</ref>

Red Frogs was introduced to Canada in 2011 and as of 2023 was operating on 17 university campuses across the country,<ref name=meetNZ>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/red-frogs-windsor-1.6942855|title=Meet the Red Frogs: They're here to help you sober up|first=Josiah|last=Sinanan|publisher=CBC News|date=21 August 2023|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> offering water, snacks, and walks home during frosh week.<ref name=meetNZ/> They have also been involved in festivals and concerts, and in August 2023 piloted a program in downtown Windsor, Ontario as a "friendly force" and referral program.<ref name=meetNZ/>

Red Frogs South Africa launched in 2013, safeguarding at festivals and other youth focused events, as well as on university campuses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goodthingsguy.com/people/creating-safe-spaces-for-youth-is-red-frogs-south-africa/|title=Creating Safe Spaces for Youth is Red Frogs South Africa|first=Karabo|last=Peter|date=16 July 2025|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=Good Things Guy}}</ref> They promote safe partying and provide support on the streets and through a hotline phone number for what is known as "Matric Rage", school-leavers' end of year celebrations in coastal towns including Plettenberg Bay and Jeffreys Bay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.knysnaplettherald.com/News/Article/Local-News/safe-partying-for-matrics-20170711|title=Safe Partying for Matrics|date=3 December 2015|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=Knysna-Plett Herald}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-30-rage-boosts-local-businesses-but-drains-parents-wallets/|title=Rage boosts local businesses, but drains parents’ wallets|first=Elaine|last=King|work=Daily Maverick|date=30 November 2025|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2022-12-05-red-frogs-npo-safeguards-plett-rage-jollers/|title=Red Frogs NPO safeguards Plett Rage jollers|date=5 December 2022|access-date=7 March 2026|work=Daily Dispatch}}</ref>

Red Frogs New Zealand has been operating since 2015, initially through Australian volunteers before establishing locally based operations with two staff and over 400 volunteers.<ref name=funding>{{cite web|url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/01/13/funding-challenge-for-charity-keeping-revellers-safe-over-new-years/|title=Funding challenge for charity keeping revellers safe at events|first=Jared|last=McCulloch|date=13 January 2026|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=1News}}</ref> They supported around 180,000 people on New Year's Eve, with Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey saying the charity was "vitally important" in ensuring people are safe.<ref name=funding/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/582119/wanaka-braces-for-influx-of-teenage-partygoers-on-new-year-s-eve|title=Wānaka braces for influx of teenage partygoers on New Year's Eve|date=17 December 2025|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=RNZ|first=Katie|last=Todd}}</ref> In November 2025, Red Frogs launched a school safety pilot program in Central Otago.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wanakaapp.nz/NewsStory/red-frogs-expands-school-safety-efforts/6922ae5eff48ab002e89c9c2|title=Red Frogs expands school safety efforts|date=24 November 2025|access-date=7 March 2026|publisher=The Wānaka App}}</ref>

In September 2024, the Nashville Mayor's Office of Nightlife officially welcomed Red Frogs to the United States city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2024/09/18/nashville-lower-broadway-red-frogs-nonprofit-alcohol-drugging-risks/75274874007/|title=Amid drugging concerns in downtown Nashville, Aussie group aims to reduce risk on Lower Broadway|first=Kirsten|last=Fiscus|date=18 September 2024|access-date=7 March 2026|work=The Tennessean}}</ref> Volunteers set up a permanent post on Lower Broadway with the aim of helping partygoers get home safely.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/red-frogs-permanent-post-lower-broadway/|title=Red Frogs to set up permanent post on Lower Broadway|first=Sara|last=Smith|publisher=WKRN|date=17 September 2024|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> They have since been involved in the city's New Year's Eve events<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsmv.com/2024/12/31/final-preparations-underway-nashville-new-years-eve-celebration/|title=Final preparations underway for Nashville’s New Year’s Eve celebration|publisher=WSMV4|date=31 December 2024|first=Brendan|last=Tierney|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref> as well as CMA Fest and other concerts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fox17.com/news/local/red-frogs-triples-safety-efforts-for-cma-fest-as-thousands-flood-downtown-nashville|publisher=Fox17|title=Red Frogs triples safety efforts for CMA Fest as thousands flood Downtown Nashville|first=Madeleine|last=Nolan|date=5 June 2025|access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Support groups Category:Medical and health organisations based in Queensland Category:Youth organisations based in Australia Category:Christian organisations based in Australia Category:International Christian organizations Category:International volunteer organizations Category:Harm reduction