QUESTIONS: Education coordinator for Encounter Youth, Jess Kennedy, Nekara Williams and Jack Luckett get answers to their questions.
YEAR 12: Top - Corey Napper, Kristie Rowett, Nekara Williams, Justine Carson, Elise Damin, Kurt Ferguson, Jack Luckett, Jesse Redden; middle - Charlotte Foulds, Tillie Jarman; front - Whitnee King, Caity Cadzow, Roxsan Rohrlach, Natasha Hutchinson, Remy Hudd and Tarliya Palmer.
YEAR 12 students have attended two safety workshops conducted by education organisation, Encounter Youth.
All year levels benefited by the ‘Who’s Calling Your Shots’ workshop while Year 12 students also absorbed information from the ‘Safety at Schoolies’ workshop.
Funded and supported by the Tatiara District Council and Bordertown High School’s Christian pastoral support, the sessions aimed at balancing fun, responsibility and safety.
Year 12 students were provided with sensible and informative safety measures, while pushing messages through using real-life examples to instill safety and sensibility.
Ms Kennedy covered topics such as dressing warm, ensuring students have sufficient funds for food and transport, student IDs’ which are needed to obtain wristbands, and safety measures such as ‘look after yourself, look after your mates’.
Road safety was also a focus, although the overwhelming consensus is that students are travelling by local bus service.
Those that may opt to drive were warned of the many issues faced by being a driver including, being a designated driver, not responding to peer pressure and not drinking and driving.
To ensure effective messages were conveyed Ms Kennedy’s relayed real-life stories to students, including a girl who was pulled up by police 16 times in four days at schoolies.
During Schoolies Festival and weekend, Victor Harbor has been marked a clear dry zone.
Those that defy that order have the potential to receive a hefty fine.
Year 8 to 11 students also heard from Ms Kennedy on the workshop ‘Who’s Calling Your Shots’.
The workshop highlighted alcohol use amongst young people, looking at peer pressure, community and cultural influences, drink spiking, binge drinking and aggressive behaviour.
Arts and community development officer Naomi Fallon commented on the reactions from Year 12 students, who were highly interactive with Ms Kennedy.
“The fact they were quite fun and joking around, proved students were comfortable with Jess, some stuck around to ask questions in private.
“Whilst it was fun and casual they took positive tips out of it,” Naomi said.
“It (the workshop) was worthwhile and cheap, so we were happy to support the program, and it sounded like it went down a treat.”
These ‘Safe Partying Seminars’ have been run successfully in conjunction with many local groups in other council areas such as Burnside, Mitcham, Port Augusta, West Torrens, Prospect and Walkerville.
For further information on Schoolies Festival 2012 visit the website or visit Encounter Youth Education's website.