With end of year celebrations about to hit top gear, Youth Solutions’ annual safer celebrations campaign is ramping up and is challenging Macarthur residents to “Celebrate Safe and Well’’.
Delivered in partnership with Campbelltown Catholic Club, the Celebrate Safe and Well campaign is calling on young people, and the wider community of Macarthur and Wingecarribee, to take positive steps this festive season to make their celebrations safe and memorable for all the right reasons.
The health promotion campaign was launched in November in an effort to prevent drug and alcohol related harm to young people during the peak party season.
Part of the campaign aims to provide the region’s young people with the information and support they need to keep safe when heading out, celebrating or drinking alcohol.
The Celebrate Safe and Well campaign has already engaged with hundreds of young people across the region, providing practical tips on how to celebrate safely, challenging concepts of normal partying behaviour and providing a channel for young people to access correct information and support.
And as end of school and university celebrations reach their peak and Christmas and New Year approach, the messages of the campaign are becoming particularly important.
“As a youth service, we value keeping the young people in our community healthy, happy, safe and having fun. So that means all of us taking responsibility to make sure our celebrations are safe,” Youth Solutions ceo Geraldine Dean said.
“It’s important to remember that you can have a great time without drinking alcohol or without drinking too much,” Mrs Dean said.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We are calling on our young people to support each other, to recognise and stick their own limits and to be respectful of the limits of their friends,” Youth Solutions communications coordinator and Celebrate Safe and Well campaign lead Amanda Dillon said.[/social_quote]
“Not everyone can handle the same amount of alcohol and alcohol can affect everyone differently. So if you think yourself or a friend has had too much to drink, it’s okay to call it quits earlier on,” Mrs Dillon said.
Some other tips to remember this celebration season:
• If you are heading out, it’s important to plan a safe way there and home and keep money for transport and food.
• While out, always keep your drinks with you and remember to eat something regularly, particularly if you choose to drink alcohol.
• You can keep track of how much alcohol you are having by looking at the standard drinks icon on the label of the alcoholic drink or by asking your bar tender how many standard drinks your drink contains.
• Look out for each other when you are out, stay close to your friends and leave together.
• If something goes wrong or a friend gets sick or passes out, it is important to call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance and let ambulance officers know if your friend has had alcohol and drugs, as it helps them to provide the right care.
• It’s also important to remember that it takes quite a while for alcohol to leave your system, so that often means it isn’t safe to drive the day after drinking. On average, it takes the body at least one hour to break down each standard drink you have had, from the time of your last drink. That means, if you have four standard drinks, you would need to wait at least four hours, if not more, from the time of your last drink, before the alcohol is out of your system.
In line with Celebrate Safe and Well campaign, Youth Solutions has been distributing hundreds of Safer Celebrations Guides, containing safer celebrating tips, at community events and via Campbelltown Catholic Club stalls.
The campaign messages are also reaching audiences on social media, were shared with young people in the region’s schools and have been displayed at local McDonald’s restaurants and Macarthur Square.
In support of the campaign, Campbelltown Catholic Club will also provide free soft drink to all designated drivers on Friday and Saturday nights throughout December.
The campaign’s core messages can be found in the Celebrate Safe and Well video here.
For more information about the campaign visit the Youth Solutions website here or connect with Youth Solutions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube. To be mailed a resource pack, contact Amanda on 4628 2319 or email her at amanda@youthsolutions.com.au
Upcoming Celebrate Safe and Well campaign stalls:
Friday, 2 December 2016 – Campbelltown Catholic Club stall, 7pm – 9pm
Friday, 9 December 2016 – Campbelltown Catholic Club stall, 7pm – 9pm
Friday 16 December 2016 – Campbelltown Catholic Club stall, 7pm – 9pm
