As part of Wellbeing Wednesday series, our Senior School students recently attended year-level-specific sessions focused on Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) education, facilitated by Encounter Youth. These sessions adopt a harm-minimisation approach and encourage students to ‘look after themselves and their mates’.
At St John’s, intentionally, the students take part in these sessions in successive years during Senior School, building on the knowledge from the previous year and applying that knowledge to potentially new or varied contexts. We acknowledge that AOD is a topic that young people may need the health literacy to navigate, and these sessions, along with curriculum content in Year 10 Purposely Well, provide our students with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices.
We also recognise that the Senior School years can be a difficult time for parents to navigate, as teenagers are wired to participate in risk-related behaviours. Whether it is decisions about access to social media, staying at friends’ houses, getting their licence or drinking alcohol, there is so much for us as parents to consider. Importantly, the recent student sessions took a fact-based approach to AOD education, avoiding scare tactics and sensationalism. Supported by up-to-date research, each of the year level sessions provided our Senior School students with key information, including the growing number of students who are choosing not to drink alcohol or take other drugs. From this foundation, the session also addressed the realities that some students choose to drink at risky levels or engage with drugs, and strategies to reduce harm and to look after a mate, if a night doesn’t go according to plan.
As parents, it is so important we are informed, as research indicates that parents play a vital role in the development of their adolescent children.
Every family is different and there are a range of different circumstances that will dictate how a parent responds to challenges that may arise during adolescence. Having access to good quality, accurate information is vital. Likewise, staying connected with other parents and creating your ‘parent village’ can help in working through some of the common things parents are faced with, such as comments from our young people like, “But everyone else is doing…”, or, “You are the only one who doesn’t let…”
Paul Dillon, from the Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) suggests some simple tips to help parents navigate these conversations with their teens:
Challenge ridiculous statements: If your child tells you that you are the “only parent who won’t provide alcohol”, make sure you do not let this statement go unchallenged. Most parents do not support providing alcohol to take to underage parties. Likewise, key statistics indicate that 83% of young people aged 15 are non-drinkers (ASSAD Survey, 2023). This percentage decreases for 16–17-year-olds, but only slightly, with many older teens choosing to delay their first drink.
Let other parents know your views: Make sure other parents know where you stand on the subject of supplying alcohol to teenagers who are underage. If you do not believe that it is appropriate to provide your child with alcohol to take to a party, you will most probably be pleasantly surprised as to how many parents agree with your stance. If parents have differing viewpoints that is their right, but let them know your reasons and make it clear that you do not want your child to drink at this stage in their life.
Link up with other like-minded parents: Other parents are navigating this same stage of adolescent development – stay connected and work together in managing this stage of parenting. Holding true to what you believe may keep your child (and others) that bit safer through adolescence and beyond.
We encourage you to have conversations with your child about the information they heard and discussions they had at the AOD sessions. Encounter Youth have provided a party-safe flyer with snapshots of information relating to the student presentation to assist with these conversations. We have also provided a parent fact sheet focusing on Party Safe & the Law. Additionally, here are just some of the many resources parents and caregivers can access when seeking more information about Alcohol and Other Drugs: