More than 1,500 young people have engaged with a summer campaign aimed at fostering safer celebrations and reducing drug and alcohol related harm in Macarthur.
Youth Solutions and Campbelltown Catholic Club have just officially wrapped up the 2015 – 2016 Safer Celebrations campaign, Take it Easy.
The Take it Easy campaign was launched on October 30 in a bid to provide the region’s young people with information, tips and support to ensure their nights out and festive celebrations remained safe and memorable for all the right reasons.
The campaign targeted 18 – 25 year olds, engaging with young people via community events, Campbelltown Catholic Club stalls and social media, spreading positive health promotion messages related to the topics of drinking alcohol, recognising your own limits, planning your night out, getting home safely, and knowing what to do in an emergency.
As part of the campaign, posters containing tips on how to take it easy on a night out were displayed throughout the community.
Information packs and posters were sent to all secondary schools in the Macarthur region and guides with vital safer celebration tips, including what to do in an emergency, were also distributed to hundreds of people.
The campaign, which aimed to influence positive decision making during the celebration season, included Campbelltown Catholic Club’s free soft drink initiative for designated sober drivers.
Youth Solutions also surveyed young people throughout the campaign, collecting data on partying behaviours. The data collection showed that young people were increasingly taking measures to make their nights out safer, such as planning a safe way home and not advertising their plans on social media.
While the survey showed that the average number of drinks young people were consuming in one sitting had dropped slightly when compared with the previous year’s campaign, 79 percent of young people were still binge drinking, consuming alcohol at risky levels.
The survey findings will be used to influence future Youth Solutions campaigns and project work.
Youth Solutions chief executive officer Geraldine Dean was thrilled that the campaign was able to reach so many young people in Macarthur.
“Youth Solutions is so proud to be able to deliver this campaign,’’ Ms Dean said.
“This campaign is an important cog in the wheel for preventing drug and alcohol harm to our community’s young people and for improving their health, wellbeing and resilience.
“The fact that we have been able to share this important campaign information with more than 1500 young people directly is fantastic.”
Ms Dean said the campaign would not have been possible without the partnership with Campbelltown Catholic Club and the support of its dedicated staff.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We cannot thank the Campbelltown Catholic Club enough for the incredible support they have shown to Youth Solutions and our community in general by partnering with us for this campaign,” she said.[/social_quote]
“This partnership is a clear demonstration of the fantastic commitment Campbelltown Catholic Club has to our community and our young people, as well as the value they see in supporting our young people and educating them about alcohol and other drugs.’’
For more information about the campaign visit the Youth Solutions website or connect with Youth Solutions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube.
Youth Solutions is a local health promotion and youth drug and alcohol prevention charity.
For more information about Youth Solutions, or for drug and alcohol education, information, referral, or the current activities of Youth Solutions:
• Phone 4628 2319;
• Email info@youthsolutions.com.au
• On the web: visit the Youth Solutions website.
