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TAG CLOUD
March 1, 2013
SCHOOL DRUG EDUCATION RESOURCES
The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development have released new alcohol and other drug curriculum resources for years 7 - 9. These resources have been trialled in 21 schools with 1750 students and comply with best-practice principles of school drug education. The "Get Ready" resources are designed to be delivered in 10 sequential lessons, which have been demonstrated to be the most effective delivery method. The resources include a teacher manual and a student workbook for each of the three year levels, as well as a very handy "Teachers Guide to Licit and Illicit Drugs". The resources are free to download from the department's website.
Go to "Get Ready Years 7-9 Curriculum: Drug Education in Victorian Schools"
Posted in: Resources for Young People
October 26, 2012
HOW YOUNG PEOPLE ARE FARING: 2012
The Foundation for Young Australians have published their annual
"How Young People are Faring" report, which looks at how young
people are managing the transition from education to further
training and work. The report considers a number of domains
including participation in education, school attainment, the youth
labour market as well as identifying those most in need of support
through transition. The report also looks at those young
people who are not in employment, education or training and
considers the social implications of this.
Download "How Young People are Faring: 2012" (690KB
PDF)
Posted in: Research
October 5, 2012
SHOULD ADULTS BE DRINKING ALCOHOL AT SCHOOL EVENTS?
A recent article on "The Conversation" website asks the question: "Mirror ball, mirror ball, in the school hall: are parents allowed any booze at all?" Nyanda McBride, Senior Research Fellow with the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University, poses the question. Some argue that modelling responsible drinking could be of benefit to young people, and allowing parents to responsibly consume alcohol at school functions could allow this to occur. McBride argues, however, that we need to reduce the social acceptance of alcohol in order to reduce consumption and we do this by showing young people that adults are capable of having a good time without using alcohol.
Read more at The Conversation Website
Posted in: Research
April 5, 2012
EMERGING DRUG INFORMATION FOR SCHOOL-BASED WORKERS
There continues to be a range of new drugs emerging at an ever increasing rate. Often billed as "legal highs", many of these substances contain unknown chemicals with unknown effects. In response to this, a UK based service "The Drug Education Forum" has put together an information sheet on these emerging substances, to assist people working in the school environment to address the issues associated with these substances. The fact sheet is in plain English and provides workers with practical strategies to address this issue in the school environment.
"Legal High" Information for School Drug Educators (160kb pdf)
Posted in: Treatment Tools
September 16, 2011
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL DRUG EDUCATION RESOURCES
The Western Australian Department of Education and Training developed a fantastic range of alcohol and other drug curriculum materials for schools, titled "Choices". The materials were specifically designed for the Western Australian Health Studies course, however many of the activities and resources could be easily adapted for the Queensland context. Included are a range of excellent classroom activities and suggestions for interactive sessions with young people.
Choices: Alcohol and Other Drugs
Posted in: Treatment Tools
August 19, 2011
SCHOOL RESPONSES TO CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR
Uniting Care have published a comprehensive literature review of various responses to challenging behaviour in a school setting. It includes on overview of the evidence supporting punitive approaches, academic approaches, therapeutic approaches and the more multi-tiered responses. The guide provides a concise overview of the options available and the evidence base behind each approach.
Understanding School Responses to Students' Challenging Behaviour (288KB PDF)
Posted in: Research
August 19, 2011
IS YOUR HIGH GETTING YOU LOW: SCHOOL CANNABIS RESOURCES
The Victorian Government have developed a teachers resource titled "Is your high getting you low?" which is focused on cannabis and mental health for young people in grades 9 and 10. The guide includes lesson plans for a series of 5 lessons, all of which are based on the existing best practice evidence. A number of classroom activities are included, and all the materials necessary are contained in the teacher's manual.
Is your high getting you low (1.3MB PDF)
Posted in: Resources for Young People
May 12, 2011
DRUG TESTING IN SCHOOLS IS NOT THE ANSWER
Despite a significant body of evidence pointing to declining rates of illegal drug use amongst young people throughout the past decade, this week has seen a number of media reports about drug use in schools. Some in the media have called for a "crackdown", involving sniffer dogs or drug testing students. Back in 2007, the Australian National Council on Drugs completed a report which reviewed the evidence for and against drug testing of school students and the verdict was clear. Drug testing of school students could inadvertently increase drug use amongst high risk young people, by damaging their sense of connectedness to their school community. A range of reports that have highlighted that positive school engagement is a protective factor that moderates and reduces problematic substance use.
Click here to read the full report.
Posted in: Research
April 21, 2011
THE GATHERING STORY
Melville City Council in Western Australia have developed an educational DVD showing ways to prevent and minimise alcohol related harm. The DVD features a group of friends who organise a spontaneous "gathering" while parents are away. Things quickly get out of hand, and the decisions they make have consequences far into the future. The DVD is designed for use with groups of young people aged 15 to 18, and is based on the Western Australia high school curriculum. A great option if you are looking for a well-produced resource to start some discussion with young people about the potential impacts of alcohol. It comes with a manual of resources and activities.
Click here to find out more, or to order a copy.
Posted in: Resources for Young People
