P.A.R.T.Y, (Providing Alcohol Related Training for Youth) is a twelve week participatory course for young people run by Youth Alive, a youth group based in Dumfries. The young people attend the course for one, two hour session per week which in turn qualifies them for a Duke of Edinburgh, bronze skills award.
The course is supported by a training manual and each session is designed to facilitate the young people's learning and research about the misuse of alcohol, its possible consequences and to promote the message of being safe and responsible around alcohol.
The sessions also include training in running a dry bar and making cocktails without alcohol and looking at positive alternatives. As each group of young people learns to run a dry bar, they are provided with a kit which allows them to start up a dry bar within their own organisation. This enables young people to raise funds for their organisation and promote the responsible drinking message themselves.
Youth Alive uses peer mentors to facilitate the workshops and training. This makes the message more credible and realistic as the mentors are ‘living the message'.
Diversionary activities - defined as a need by the young people – are very much encouraged and include hip hop dance, football, creative arts, music and outdoor activities.
In all of this Youth Alive aim to build confidence and esteem and give out accurate information that will equip young people to make positive and healthy choices.
Relationship is the key Build strong healthy relationships with the young people. It's important to have the right people in place who are committed, caring, non-judgemental, who can communicate with young people and who can create an atmosphere of appropriate trust and sharing.
You can have the most dynamic programme in the world but with the wrong people delivering it, it will be totally ineffective.
Youth Participation The programme has to be by young people for young people with youth participation at the forefront. Adults may have a good idea what young people want and need but only young people can truly know. Adults have a key role in guidance, advice and facilitating.
Take into account Learning styles We all have different styles of learning so presenting the same message in different ways ensures everyone has an opportunity to learn. Experiential learning is the most effective way to learn, so ensure that the young people have opportunities to learn through their own research, workshops, hands on approaches, etc.
Embrace youth culture ‘The world you will not enter is the world you cannot reach' (Paul Scanlon). A lot of young people drink as part of their culture - there's no point in telling them not to as evidence shows that the ‘just say no approach' is not effective. Young people have already made up their minds about alcohol and it's our job to make sure they know the real facts and how to stay safe.
Use modern media to convey messages.
Have quality information available Make sure the information you have is accurate and from a good reliable source - not everything that you download from the internet is reliable and can contain conflicting information.
Encourage a sense of responsibility Peer pressure is blamed for a great many things but ultimately we are responsible for our own actions. Give young people responsibility and watch them rise to the challenge; look for leadership ability and encourage peer mentoring.
Encourage diversionary activities It takes a great deal of courage to walk into somewhere new for the first few times - if your organisation doesn't provide diversionary activities arrange to take your group of young people to places that do. Your presence will make the first initial steps much easier. Look at positive alternatives to alcohol, for example, sport, hobbies, dance, football.
Live your message There's no point in presenting a responsible drinking message if we ourselves are being irresponsible by misusing alcohol. That makes our message null and void.
Do as much as you can to build confidence and self worth It takes confidence to do something different from the crowd, so if everyone is drinking then young people want to fit in and will do the same. Maslow's hierarchy of needs states that one of our basic human needs is a sense of belonging - insecure young people will look for it wherever it presents itself and that won't always be within a positive environment. Building confidence equips young people to make positive choices.
Make your programme fun and relevant To be relevant to young people you don't have to wear the latest gear or listen to the latest music, but you do need to care. It's a cliché, but true, people don't want to know how much you know until they know how much you care.
Use soaps, movies, youth programmes and music to convey your message. Be well prepared.
Have a fun aspect to the programme and keep a sense of humour. Let young people see that you don't take yourself too seriously and have the ability to laugh at your own mistakes.
“The winning of the CHAMP Award was very timely for the project,
as funding in 2008/9 has been particularly difficult to secure. The
success of winning this award has assisted us in securing a further two
years full funding commitment from our Drug Alcohol Action Team”
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