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Students Raise Awareness of Drug Danger

GippsTAFE Students raise awareness about Drugs and Alcohol

An innovative group of local students worked to raise public awareness of pressing drug and alcohol concerns with a recent Drug Action Week event at GippsTAFE Yallourn.

By GippsTAFE - 23rd June 2006 - Back to News

An initiative of the Australian Government, Drug Action Week (18 – 24 June) promotes issues associated with drug and alcohol. The students participating in the event organized a day of free food, entertainment and activities, to encourage their peers to get involved in the event and learn more about the effect of drugs on users and their families.

"The safe, party atmosphere motivated a lot of people to come down and investigate what the day was all about," said student facilitator, Leah Mececkas. "Our aim was to get people involved and learning about real issues, while having fun with their mates."

"Lecturing students with scare tactics is not the most effective way to get your message across. It’s better to encourage people to make the best decision on their own terms, rather than limiting their choices."

With the assistance of teacher Annemieke Van Vliet, the day was organized as a class project for students completing Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs at GippsTAFE. The course is for people who are seeking a career in drug and alcohol counseling, and the event is an opportunity for the students to gain some practical experience in talking about drug related issues.

"As our coursework was developed in line with Drug Action Week, we not only learned about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but we also put that knowledge into practice by actively encouraging other students to be more aware of the choices they are making," said Ms Mececkas.

"I think it is really important to get young people involved in organizing events like this, because information about drugs seems a lot more credible when we hear it from a person we consider similar to ourselves. It makes sense for students to be talking to their peers about these sorts of issues."

Students were invited to take part in competitions, where they traded their knowledge for a chance to win a prize. One of the most successful activities of the day was a raffle, which students entered by correctly answering a question on harm minimization.

The event featured stands staffed by a range of drug and alcohol agencies, who provided information about the services available to people dealing with drug and alcohol in their lives.

For more information on Drug Action Week, please visit www.drugactionweek.org.au

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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