SDERA news archives
Find out how SDERA been helping children and young people make smarter choices by providing a resilience approach to road safety and alcohol and other drugs education.
2018 Health and Wellbeing Young Achiever Award
1 December 2017
Nominations for the 2018 Health and Wellbeing Young Achiever Award closed on 23 January 2018. The winner of the Health and Wellbeing Award will be announced at the Gala Presentation at the Pan Pacific on 26 May 2018.
Leavers Essentials Forums in the Goldfields
19 November 2017
To help students make safe choices during Leavers celebrations in the Goldfields, SDERA partnered with the Kalgoorlie Boulder Local Drug Action Group to deliver two Leavers Essentials Forums at John Paul College and Eastern Goldfields College. Guest speakers from different local organisations were invited to speak with the students about a range of topics. Read more.
SDERA sponsors the 2017 WA Young Achiever WAYAA Award
19 May 2017
Pavitra Aran has won the inaugural SDERA Health and Wellbeing Award in the 2017 WA Young Achiever Awards. Pavitra was presented with the award by Anne Miller at the gala presentation dinner held at the Pan Pacific on Friday 12th May. Pavitra, 26 of South Perth is completing her Masters of Clinical Psychology. Pavitra volunteered for Zero2Hero, a youth suicide prevention group and founded a social media project; Young Refugees of WA. Read more.
South West schools claim gold
29 March 2017
Five schools in the South West are the first in the State to be awarded gold status in the Changing Heath Acting Together (CHAT) initiative.
At an awards ceremony today Cape Naturaliste College (CNC), Geographe Primary School, Dunsborough Primary School, Margaret River Primary School and Margaret River Senior High School were awarded gold status for their achievement. Cowaramup Primary School was awarded silver status and Bridgetown High School received bronze status. Regional Executive Director for the South West, Neil Milligan, spoke at the ceremony to congratulate the schools on their dedication to enhancing the health and wellbeing of their students. Learn how your school can be a CHAT school.
Keys for Life pre-driver education program wins national awards
24 March 2017
Keys for Life was awarded the best Community Program in Australia at the Sixth Annual Australian Road Safety Awards in Melbourne in March this year. The program also received the Founder’s Award for Outstanding Achievements, an award that cannot be entered but is awarded by the panel to recognise achievement.
SDERA Manager, Anne Miller, stated that “Preparing young people for safer driving is an important part of the Western Australian road safety strategy as they are over-represented in road crash statistics each year. Keys for Life is an all-encompassing program that provides school staff with professional learning and resources that have been mapped to the WA Health and Physical Education Syllabus."
Steering safely through the teen years
6 February 2017
Catriona Coe, SDERA drug education consultant, said drug education in schools was directed towards harm minimisation, rather than a blanket “just say no” approach.
“The best way to stay safe is not to use but we also look at if you are going to choose to use what can you know, what can you do, who can you talk to and who can assist you to remain safer within that choice,” Ms Coe said.
Read the full article in the West Online Lifestyle -Health and Medicine section, 1 February 2017.
Source: https://thewest.com.au/lifestyle/healthmedicine/steering-safely-through-the-teen-years-ng-b88363346z
New 7-9 alcohol and other drugs resources
1 February 2017
SDERA has launched the new Year 7-9 Challenges and Choices alcohol and other drugs education resources. The content endeavours to support and expand students’ knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes in relation to their health, safety and wellbeing and are mapped to the WA Health and Physical Education Syllabus and the personal and social general capability. Discover more.
Resources mapped to the WA HPE syllabus
1 February 2017
To further support teachers in their delivery of resilience, road safety and alcohol and other drugs education, mapping documents for K/PP-Year 6 Challenges and Choices resources are now available to download from the SDERA website. These mapping documents have been developed to assist teachers and schools deliver the engaging and age-appropriate learning experiences included in the K-6 Challenges and Choices resources.
SDERA's K-6 Challenges and Choices to be adapted for use in the Constable Care experiential learning centre
19 December 2016
Based on the best-practice education principles of learning through play and simulation, Constable Care has embarked on a project to build and operate Western Australia’s only safety experiential learning centre, where children aged 4-11 years can practice road and public transport safety skills in a realistic urban environment that links the classroom road safety curriculum to practical skills training outcomes. Find out more.
(Source: http://www.cccsf.org.au/programs/safety-school/)
Katanning Senior High School students 'stand strong'
9 December 2016
Katanning Senior High School students were recently given the opportunity to work with a crew from Indigenous Hip Hop Projects to create a music video which raised awareness around the negative effects of alcohol and drug use. The students wrote and performed the lyrics to the music video "Standing Strong" based around the issues that they feel are most pressing for the youth in Katanning including the negative effects of alcohol and drug use and racism.
Over the course of 18 months the school and Palmerston worked together to secure funding which allowed the project to come to life. The students identified the negative effects of alcohol and drugs in their community and the links that these have to racism and domestic violence. The vision is to promote positive messages of reconciliation, respectful relationships and healthier lifestyles. Watch the video here.
Building resilience in young people
24 October 2016
In a world where many young people are becoming more anxious and less able to cope with life and school stressors, it is important that schools take time to teach their students how to increase their social and emotional competence and become more resilient. Resilience education gives children and young people the opportunity to develop a range of social and emotional skills that can influence the way they make choices and decisions in challenging situations. Find out more.
It is important to involve young people and parents in drug education
24 October 2016
Research shows us that young people want credible and reliable information to be able to make their own informed choices. School drug education supported by SDERA makes sure this happens according to best practice and promotes strongly the involvement of parents. The role of parents is essential as a support to a young person’s evolving social and emotional growth. Where young people have an opportunity to open up a dialogue with supportive parents they can then be reassured, guided and informed which can make a significant difference. Find out more about SDERA's drug education resources for parents.
Parents matter in school drug education
24 October 2016
Drug education helps young people build resilience, make more informed choices and understand that all drugs, legal and illegal, have the potential to cause harm. A whole school approach puts schools in a position to engage more strongly with parents. This allows parents to be better informed about drug-related harm and to have greater confidence in the influence they can have on their children’s behaviour.
Working together, schools can support parents with provision of key information that will assist them in opening up a dialogue about drugs including alcohol and reinforcing messages that are being provided in the classroom. Find out more.
New parent engagement kit for secondary schools
24 October 2016
To complement SDERA’s teaching resources secondary schools can now use a new kit, which has been developed by the Mental Health Commission and SDERA. The Alcohol and Leavers Celebrations Community Action Kit supports secondary school communities to deliver key information specifically related to alcohol to parents/guardians of 12 to 17 year olds and provides information to help parents understand that for under 18’s, no alcohol is the safest choice.
The impact of 'ice' on the brain
24 October 2016
High doses of ice and frequent use may also cause ‘ice psychosis’. This condition is characterised by paranoid delusions, hallucinations and bizarre, aggressive or violent behaviour. These symptoms usually disappear a few days after the person stops using ice.
The drug can also have serious long-term health effects, including depression, anxiety, and memory disturbance. Evidence also suggests that stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines when used occasionally and regularly can cause problems for the brain, especially with memory, concentration and mood being affected.
(Reference: Fatovich, D et al 2009. ‘Brain abnormalities detected on magnetic resonance imaging of amphetamine users presenting to an emergency department’)
High doses of ice and frequent use may also cause ‘ice psychosis’. This condition is characterised by paranoid delusions, hallucinations and bizarre, aggressive or violent behaviour. These symptoms usually disappear a few days after the person stops using ice.
The drug can also have serious long-term health effects, including depression, anxiety, and memory disturbance. Evidence also suggests that stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines when used occasionally and regularly can cause problems for the brain, especially with memory, concentration and mood being affected.
(Reference: Fatovich, D et al 2009. ‘Brain abnormalities detected on magnetic resonance imaging of amphetamine users presenting to an emergency department’)
Getting it Together: Developing a whole school drug education plan
24 October 2016
Research shows that school drug education opens up a dialogue about drugs and consequences of drug use that can increase help seeking behaviour where concerns around drug use exist. Having a Whole School Drug Education Plan that focuses on classroom-based drug education and on procedures for responding to student drug use is supportive of staff as well as students. SDERA offers a full-day professional learning workshop to any school wishing to develop a Whole School Drug Education Plan.
Keys for Life is first rate
24 October 2016
A recent evaluation, by Metrix Consulting, revealed that the majority of students and parents participating in Keys for Life, have a strong understanding of road safety behaviours including the non-use of alcohol and other drugs, and completing more than the required 50 hours of supervised driving practice for the log book. The evaluation was conducted in 2015 with the aim of providing SDERA with strategies to optimise program reach, uptake and effectiveness. The positive results are consistent with the 2008 evaluation and reveal even greater reach and student engagement across the state, as well as plans for continued improvement. Discover more about the Keys for Life program.
Reducing risk through education
24 October 2016
As part of the State and National Ice Action Strategy SDERA is also developing website content that aims to inform, advise, build awareness and debunk myths and misconceptions regarding alcohol and others drugs. The suite of resources will provide information about ice, and where families and communities can seek support and advice. Find out more.
New methamphetamine workshops for south-west parents
17 October 2016
Mental Health Minister Andrea Mitchell said the workshops would support teachers, parents and others wanting more information about methamphetamine and its potential harms. The workshops will look at the possible consequences of its use and what can be done to reduce harm and prevent use by students. Read the full media statement here.
New road safety education resources
21 September 2016
SDERA has launched new Year 7-9 Challenges and Choices road safety education resources that map to the WA HPE Syllabus and the general capabilities, introduce the latest statistics and facts and incorporate engaging and practical age-appropriate learning activities for students. The resource includes a Teacher Resource with two modules, Resilience education and Road Safety education, and the student workbook ‐ In Gear.
Launch of new Talking Drugs strategy and online kit in schools
29 June 2016
Education Minister Peter Collier announced a new online kit and a new professional learning program called Talking Drugs would be rolled out in WA schools. He was joined at the Applecross Senior High School launch by SDERA ambassador and Australian cricketer Brad Hogg and Mental Health Minister Andrea Mitchell. Find out more.