Teacher

Details: Published: 17 August 2011; Hits: 13334

INVITATION:

Dear Learning Facilitator,

The Dalgarno Institute, a non profit, public interest community based organisation, have over a 150 years experience in providing proactive and protective resources and education options on alcohol and other drug issues to the Australian community.

We currently have an exciting new schools based initiative:

New Offering:
Mental Health issues in the emerging generation is a growing and deeply concerning issue.
Many factors and elements contribute to this growing public and personal health crisis, including emotional deficits, omissions and various traumas of abuse and neglect. However, one factor that has both a disturbing, and all too often irreversible impact on mental health and wellbeing, is the alcohol and other drug factor (AOD).
As some ‘grown ups’ clamour for greater liberalization of drug laws and the egregious example to the emerging generation that brings, students often continue to look to these models as a cue, not merely from a poor behavioural choices aspect, but all too often the model of self-medication being passively and actively foisted on the developing child.
All humans were designed for Reward and Exploration, but this pattern is so easily hijacked by Rebellion and Experimentation counterfeits, that often are unwittingly reinforced by inaccurate cultural memes, like… ‘all kids are gunna rebel, can’t do a thing about it!’
The United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) continues to promote prevention and demand reduction for not only children (up to 18 years of age) but those still in developing brain stage – 12 to 30 years of age) The World Health Organisations (W.H.O) Comprehensive Mental Health Plan 2013-2030also seeks to give young people the best chance to develop sound mental health frameworks, of which substance use has no place.

As part of the Dalgarno Institutes educational offerings (alongside our Humpty Dumpty Dilemma Resiliency Project) we have developed a number of key workshop/seminars on AOD and Mental Healthfor your teachers and students. Including…

Mental Health in a Bottle???
Which substance will help my ‘mental health’, Hmmm, let’s try…?

These workshops can be used at any time, but best deployed during,

RUOK Week (September)
Mental Health Awareness Month (October)

Seminar options: (Three Key Base Products Numbers of Variables)

No Brainer: For year 7,8 or 9 students and is a basic introduction to alcohol and other drugs that compliments the ‘I Wish I Never...’ curriculum. Content covers

Overview of some of The What – The How – The Why of drug use.
Specific and intensive focus on specifically how different drugs impact the body and brain and includes tactile exercises to assist retention.
Drugs focused on in this seminar/s are Alcohol, Cannabis, ICE, Ecstasy and other ATS.
Looks at foundational aspects for developing resiliency around the AOD issue.

Ripped Off: For year 10/11 students and follows the same pedagogy as NO Brainer – However, content focuses on

Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use and the issues and the impact on the natural environment and climate change.
AOD use and the issues of social justice and responsibility in both the local and global community.
That global citizenship is about ensuring justice for the marginalised and vulnerable on the planet, particularly the poor and children and understanding of what drug use does to those key demographics.
Continues to focus on resiliency from a community perspective.

Humpty Dumpty Dilemma: For year 11 and 12 students. Content focuses on

Heads UP’ for students getting ready to step into the ‘unregulated’ world (outside school).
Looks more closely at resiliency issues and decision making, including potential psycho-social ‘anchors’.
Challenges the thinking of students to develop logical and evidence based frameworks for decision making around AOD issues in often complex, yet ill-conceived peer and boundary-less environments.
Builds on resiliency issues addressed in previous seminars.

Additional Options:

Bouncing Back Parent Evenings: Seminar time up to 90 minutes. Normal cost is $550 (GST inc) for the evening regardless of numbers.
Changing the Narrative – (Fence Building) Community Seminar Events: Focusing on both shifting and empowering communities to become more Resilient, proactive and preventative around the AOD issue. Engages the audience in collaborative discussion and potential strategy building for Demand Reduction and Prevention processes.

As of July 1st 2022, school seminars cost $660 per 45 -100 minute seminar for up to 150 students at a time. If more than 150 students, two seminars will need to be conducted at a total cost of $1100. Three seminars in one day in same location will only cost $1320 (NB: One free incursion seminar included in ‘I wish I never...’ DVD Curriculum Package deal as per above). Depending on school financial capacity, a gold coin option may be negotiated if necessary.

Sincerely, The NO Brainer Education Team

“Resilient communities don’t use drugs – Resilient families don’t want them!”

"Young people have a right to grow up in a society where they are protected from pressures to drink and from the harm done by alcohol [and other drugs]."

World Health Organisation

To provide Primary Prevention, Demand Reduction and Harm Prevention, focused resources that can be delivered to schools, communities, sporting clubs and parents/families by The Dalgarno Institute (and/or other trained and designated facilitators, licensees or other partner agencies). All scientific and academic data posits conclusively that any substance use is detrimental to the developing brain of children and adolescents (up to 25-28 y.o) clearly stating that at this formative stage of brain development there is NO safe level of alcohol or other drug use – So, not using at all (or at the very least delaying uptake) is the safest and best option and should be aggressively and consistently promoted across the community!

The latest National Drug Strategy 2017-26, now puts Demand Reduction as the priority!

The strategy states that “Harm Minimisation includes a range of approaches to help prevent and reduce drug related problems…including a focus on abstinence-oriented strategies... [Harm minimisation] policy approach does not condone drug use.” (page 6)

The N.D.S goes on to say…

“Prevention of uptake reduces personal, family and community harms, allow better use of health and law enforcement resources, generates substantial social and economic benefits and produces a healthier workforce. Demand Reduction strategies that prevent drug use are more cost effective than treating established drug-related problems…Strategies that delay the onset of use prevent longer term harms and costs to the community.” (page 8)

Evidence in the market place, suggests that the imperative of demand reduction and prevention focused model of education for the under 25 group is difficult to locate and/or access; we seek to provide that option through direct delivery or referral to other Demand Reduction and Primary Prevention focused agencies and licensees in our Coalition.

“Why do nations schedule drugs?...Nations schedule psychoactive drugs because we revere this three-pound organ (of our brain) differently than any other part of our body. It is the repository of our humanity. It is the place that enables us to write poetry and to do theater, to conjure up calculus and send rockets to Pluto three billion miles away, and to create iPhone and 3D computer printing. And that is the magnificence of the human brain.

Drugs can influence [the brain] adversely. So, this is not a war on drugs – this is a defence of our brains, the ultimate source of humanity!”

Dr Bertha Madras, Professor of Addiction Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

‘for further enquiries or to book a seminar click This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FEEDBACK:

"Thanks so much for the sensational sessions you guys ran for our year 8 students last week. They had a huge impact on some of our students and brought the truth into light about the lies our students are fed through the media, marketing and society in general... We ran a Binge Drinking Seminar as a part of our 'Year 10 Resiliency Day'; The No Brainer resources are sensational. We used the recent "Don't turn your night out into a nightmare" TV adds to get the kids thinking of the consequences of alcohol abuse to kick off and then worked through the worksheets, postcards for our newly elected State Politician and the pledge poster. Well done Dalgarno, the resources really help to generate discussion and the students remembered the key themes from your session last yearâ€¦.Thanks for the effort you put into these resources, they will help to save some of our precious young people's lives. (Private School - Peninsula)

"I was overjoyed with the wonderful presentation you gave my year 10 group of students yesterday, and from the [student] feedback it went over very well indeed The Students were still talking about it days later!" (Private School - Inner northern suburbs)

"As college chaplain it was a dream come true to have The Dalgarno Institute and the No Brainer-alcohol and other drugs seminar presented here with our year 8's. Not only were the seminars highly informative but they were also engaging and thought provoking for our students and staff. The presenter was highly passionate, well versed in the subject matter and inspiring... I personally enjoyed presenting the follow up session provided in the 'NO Brainer' Kit with students and felt that they were well received. The highlights were students telling me things that they never knew about alcohol and other drugs and seeing them writing out their pledges". (Public School South eastern suburbs)