Funding boost for drug and alcohol education

In Australia, alcohol causes the most drug-related deaths among teenagers, and parents are rating illegal drugs high on their list of concerns, according to a recent survey by Life Ed.

Due to increasing concern and demand from schools and parents and thanks to a recent funding boost, to combat these issues Life Ed is expanding its secondary program into more regions of Sydney and regional NSW.

Life Ed’s Face the Facts module educates secondary school students about issues associated with alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illegal drugs.

Adopting a strengths-based approach and harm minimisation techniques, Face the Facts comes from a position of positivity, recognising the challenges that face young people and working with them to find solutions.

Life Ed NSW CEO Kellie Sloane said now more than ever our young people need to be empowered with information to make informed choices about drugs and alcohol.

“Young people today navigate an increasingly complex and information rich world and are often confronted with conflicting messages,” Ms Sloane said.

“Our secondary school module, which is delivered by an educator who has extensive experience in drug and alcohol education, equips students with the skills and knowledge to evaluate information they come across – whether it is online, in the media or from peers – so they can make informed choices.”

Ms Sloane congratulated the community organisations who are supporting students in their area to access Life Ed’s Face the Facts module.

“We’ve had a ground swell of support from councils and clubs across NSW. Together, we can support our young people to make safe and healthy choices.”

This year Life Ed NSW received more than $130,000 support from the ClubGRANTS scheme and approximately $30,000 in council community grants to support the work that it does in communities across NSW. Almost $90,000 of that will go towards expanding Life Education’s Face the Facts module across NSW.