MORE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Australia21 recognises that parents are usually the most influential role models in young peoples’ lives. We are parents too, and like you we cherish our children and want them to be as healthy and happy as possible. But the reality is that we can’t always be there to help them make safe choices about drugs.
So Australia21 and ALDAF are committed to encouraging critical thinking around policies, laws and behaviours which can help young people to keep themselves, their friends and their communities safe. We believe that stronger communities built on compassion and understanding are one of the best protective gifts we can nurture for our children.
Smarter About Drugs: A conversation pack is a resource for teachers, counsellors and community leaders which has been developed for young people, by young people. It does not condone drug-taking, but it recognises that open, non-judgemental discussion can be a powerful tool in fighting substance abuse. The conversation pack is designed to:
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facilitate critical thinking about the use of illicit, prescription and over-the-counter drugs and alcohol among young Australians;
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empower young people to take ownership of harm reduction strategies; and
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give young people a voice in policy development and decisions, which often have the greatest impact on their age group.
The resource has been extensively researched, rigorously vetted by teachers and academics and mapped to the curriculum with the assistance of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER). It can also be adapted for use in other subjects, to allow schools to integrate drug safety messages across the teaching curriculum – additional example materials are available at Smarter About Drugs: Global Politics.
Is your school using Smarter About Drugs yet? Let your Principal, teachers and parent body know about the strategy!
Like to know more?
Read further details on our Smarter About Drugs pages
or drop us an email at office@australia21.org.au.
