Examples of local projects working with under 18s

 We asked earlier this year what you wanted from Drinkaware.  Many of you felt you needed insight into the bigger picture across the UK so you could use other people’s successes to help inform similar projects in your area. In response to this we gathered some great examples from all corners of the UK.

If you have any alcohol education initiatives aimed at under-18’s you would like to share, send us a brief summary to youth@drinkaware.co.uk. We can’t promise to include them all but we will share as many as possible.

Space Youth Bus - Burnley

A double decker bus launched by Burnley Council in 2007.The initiative was set up after young people said they wanted somewhere to chat with friends in a safe environment, somewhere in which they can take pride and feel a sense of ownership, and somewhere they have set and developed. Working in partnership with young people, barriers are broken, trust is established and young people can confidently talk about issues affecting them, which in turn allows agencies to give support or take action.

But it’s not just about the individual, it’s about looking at an issue like drug or alcohol abuse and focussing both on the individual and on the impact of their behaviour on the local community to reduce the fear of crime, improve the local environment and resident’s quality of life.

Space Youth Bus first year evaluation report

For further information contact Lynne Blackburn on 01282 411182 or lynne_participationworks@yahoo.co.uk

Unitcheck

This is a personalised feedback and social norms intervention/tool that aims to moderate alcohol use. It was designed for the university student population but has have since been tested with sixth form students in 10 schools in Leeds.

An evaluation of the resource with sixth form students has been carried out by Leeds University. It shows that the tool has resulted in a significant reduction in alcohol consumption – (add pdf of report)

Unitcheck has recently re-launched and anyone with a valid email address and access to the internet can now log on and receive their own personalised feedback at: www.unitcheck.co.uk. 

View report on Unitcheck by Leeds Institute of Health Sciences

For further information contact Bridgette Bewick: b.m.bewick@leeds.ac.uk

Details of relevant publications and funding can be found at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lihs/psychiatry/staff/bewick.htm

‘Getting Wrecked’ - Cumbria

A series of five short virals developed by Workshop Productions and Cumbria Police to educate on the dangers of excessive drinking. The rationale behind the project was that viral videos seeded through social networking sites like YouTube are one of the most effective ways to target messages at 11-16 year olds. The messages focus on drinking in moderation, safety when drinking and not needing to use alcohol to do certain things.

Young people are used as actors recreating the stories as well as organising backstage production like props. Two young people working on the youth police officers scheme came up with the title.

A DVD of the virals is available and is used by schools & other youth settings, as a discussion tool to promote healthy debate on the subject with young people.

For further information contact Rebecca Rawlings on 01229 876475
rrawlings@barrowbc.gov.uk

View one of the Getting Wrecked clips here:

Stand Against Violence

Lloyd Fouracre was beaten to death by a group of drunken teenagers in 2005. His brother has put together a website containing a film which tells his story, to educate people about the consequences of violence. Educational resources and lesson plans designed by a PSHE teacher from Somerset are available to be used in conjunction with the film. Although aimed at citizenship education, the material can be adapted for alcohol awareness sessions, to highlight the link between alcohol and violence and increase consideration of the consequences of our actions.

An aim of the project is to help schools develop their own community campaigns to raise awareness of violence in their own communities. For example, by performing drama or dance pieces, displaying art, collecting surveys and data. There is an annual award for schools which produce the best campaign.

For further details go to http://www.sav-ed.co.uk. 

‘Alcohol: Where’s the Harm?’ DVD - Liverpool

User friendly resource designed for use by teachers. An assembly is delivered alongside the DVD which involves interaction with the DVD characters. The DVD was developed for a small district in Liverpool (Kirkdale/Everton) that had identified alcohol misuse as a particular concern amongst primary aged children. Its success has meant that it has been rolled out to every school in Lancashire and Liverpool.
For further information or a copy of the DVD contact Peter Atkinson at peter@creativeclassroom.co.uk  

‘Adolescents Anonymous’ Alcohol Education Programme - Kirklees

Adolescents Anonymous is an innovative alcohol education programme (DVD and resource pack) for use with young people aged 11-15. It is the dramatic and moving portrayal of the effects of alcohol on three young people at different times in their lives.  It explores the effects of parental drinking on the family, peer pressure/influence, anti-social behaviour and problematic drinking. 

Young people were involved in the process throughout; from interviewing prospective film companies, reviewing (re-writing!) the script, commenting on the DVD content and trialling activities for the support programme.  The impact of the programme is currently being evaluated by Mentor UK.

In 2009 the resource won the MENTOR UK CHAMP schools award (promoting Children’s Health Through Alcohol Misuse Prevention). The impact of the programme is currently being evaluated by Mentor UK.

The DVD is accompanied by a comprehensive guide for teachers and other professionals. The easy to use lesson plans (packed with interactive resources and activities) inform and stimulate discussion & challenge attitudes about alcohol use. 

To view a sample of the resource see: http://www.adolescentsanonymous.com

For more details about obtaining this resource please contact Val Flintoff on 01484 225830 or val.flintoff@kirklees.gov.uk.

Drinkaware Grants scheme

Many of our current grant recipients are working with under-18’s. Projects include delivery of youth inclusion programmes to hard to reach and disaffected communities, taking alcohol safety messages directly to young people (e.g. at street corners, parks etc), using creative and innovative methods, and providing interactive drama sessions on alcohol.

For information on how to apply for a grant and examples of good practice visit the Grants section of our website. 

Page last updated by

Root User, 19 Apr 2010.

Page checked on

04 Nov 2009.