A Wishlist grant of $11,250 will fund a new student
prevention program aiming to help eliminate alcohol as the leading cause of
death for 15-29-year-olds.
The Preventure
program, which received the 2019 Primary Prevention Award by the Alcohol and
Drug Foundation, will begin with a personality test taken by Year 7 and 8
students in many public schools across the Coast.
Workshops that follow are designed to teach positive
coping strategies to youth who are at a high-risk of making dangerous choices
as they enter their teenage years.
The funding allows 13 School Based Youth Health
Nurses, at $750 per person, to receive training across the 15th and 16th of
August, so they are qualified to carry out the program.
The Sydney-based trainers will also provide student
and teacher manuals and follow-up assistance to the trained school nurses as
required.
Chancellor State Secondary College School Based Youth
Health Nurse Kerry Percival said the student test and following program is a
beneficial way to support teens without overwhelming them.
“Health promotion and early intervention activities
form a major part of the role of the School Based Youth Health Nurse,” she
said.
“By increasing the nurses capacity to respond in
innovative and evidence-based ways to the needs of young people provides a
valuable addition to their skill set in schools.
“The test aims to address what these students are
prone to, and then put the appropriate skills in their hands to make positive
future choices.”
As part of the program, students across the whole year
level will complete a personality questionnaire that will identify those most
in need of the prevention workshops.
Those at high risk include students scoring above
average on traits of impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity, negative thinking or
sensation seeking, as well as students with ADHD or trauma disorders.
Once identified, students in each personality-category
are invited to be grouped together and attend two 90-minute workshops to
participate in goal-setting exercises designed to enhance motivation and change
behaviour.
Wishlist’s funding program is possible thanks to the
support of people and businesses in our Sunshine Coast community.
The funds for this project come directly from this
year’s 92.7 MixFM’s Give Me 5 For Kids Campaign, where over half a million
dollars was raised for the health of local children.
Causes for this year’s Give Me 5 For Kids Campaign
included funding for Local Clown Doctors, Inter-Hospital Paediatric Critical
Care Transport Equipment, Children's Yoga Therapy and Distraction Therapy.
To find out more or make a donation, visit https://www.wishlist.org.au/
