The Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project, Winner of the Schools category
The Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project's (GEAAP's) – “Young Booze Busters” Primary School Programme delivers a four week, interactive, alcohol awareness programme to all primary six pupils in the 40 primary schools in the East of Glasgow . Followed by a further four weeks a year later when the young people have moved up into primary seven. Topics covered include: alcohol's history, its affects on the body, risks, safety, responsibility, units, attitudes, individuality, decision making, assertiveness, myths and facts.
GEAAP's Primary School programme aims to reduce the harm associated with the use and misuse of alcohol in the Greater Easterhouse area. Its objectives, in order to achieve this aim, include:
providing young people with factual information about alcohol
providing young people with essential life skills to help them make more informed choices about future alcohol use
building young people's self esteem by focusing on their individual qualities and skills
developing young people's assertiveness skills to increase their ability to cope with peer pressure
providing young people with the space to consider what responsible drinking and responsible behaviour might involve
giving young people a permanent record of their learning, including information about where to go for further help and advice, via workbooks.
Deliver all sessions in a fun and interactive manner.
As well as delivering interactive alcohol education, the project also evidenced a strong commitment to developing children's personal and social skills, including coping strategies (to deal with peer pressure), self awareness (of own strengths and qualities), self esteem, reflection and use of discussion with peers and adults to explore issues and decide on courses of action.
GEAAP used Mentor UK prize money to develop it's incentive based website for young people www.youngboozebusters.com a site that allows young people the opportunity to learn about alcohol, play games and win an Apple i pod each month. GEAAP used the consultancy support awarded by Mentor UK to commission a full independent evaluation of its Primary schools programme.
Top Tips from
Adolescents Anonymous
Involve young people as much as possible in the development of new programmes. What may sound like a great, fun and interactive idea to you may not be seen by young people in the same light.
Programmes for use in schools must by inclusive and enable all the young people to be involved. Taking into account different academic levels and learning needs.
Make it fun, serious messages and information can be delivered in a fun and interactive manner.
Use incentives. Incentive based awareness campaigns work.
Create an environment where young people feel free to ask questions, where you are not seen as an authority figure and there are no real right or wrong answers.
The Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project's (GEAAP's) – “Young Booze Busters” Primary School Programme delivers a four week, interactive, alcohol awareness programme to all primary six pupils in the 40 primary schools in the East of Glasgow . Followed by a further four weeks a year later when the young people have moved up into primary seven. Topics covered include: alcohol's history, its affects on the body, risks, safety, responsibility, units, attitudes, individuality, decision making, assertiveness, myths and facts.
