Posted on 7th December 2023
Youth Solutions Safer Summer Era provides toolkit for a safe summer
Celebration season is here and summer is on our doorstep! Youth drug and alcohol prevention service, Youth Solutions, is launching its Safer Summer Era campaign to provide local young people, and the wider community, with a ‘slay safe toolkit’; to help young people live their best (and safest) celebration season yet.
Young people and summer holidays go hand in hand. Studies are wrapping up for the year and celebrations, nights out, festivals and party season are ramping up. The Safer Summer Era campaign, launched this week, is aiming to share the latest tips, tricks and planning hacks for a memorable and safer summer.
The goals? To encourage community conversation and action across Macarthur and Wingecarribee to make safer celebrating the norm. The Safer Summer Era campaign will share practical advice and strategies to reduce alcohol-related harm and increase safer partying practices.
This year, a kind and generous donation from the Hunt Family Community Foundation will ensure the campaign can provide robust resources for young people. The newly-founded foundation, led by long-time Youth Solutions supporter Sue-Lei Hunt-Mingay, honours the legacy of the late Harry Hunt OAM by supporting projects that make a difference.
Youth Solutions Chief Executive Officer Geraldine Dean thanked the Hunt Family Community Foundation for its donation and support and encouraged all community members to heed the campaign advice for a Safer Summer Era.
“We sincerely thank the Hunt Family Community Foundation for it’s kind donation which has made this important campaign possible,” Mrs Dean said. “Each year, at this time, we turn our focus to supporting safer celebrating practices across the summer and festive season. We know this is a time when alcohol consumption can be at its peak and as a health promotion and drug and alcohol prevention service, we want to do all we can to prevent unsafe behaviours and reduce harm this summer.”
Research and experience shows that alcohol and drug use continues to bring the most harm to populations worldwide [WHO, 2023a; WHO, 2023b], including significant contributions to injuries, accidents and disease burden [Mitra et al. 2023; O’Donovan et al. 2023]. Research also shows there is great hope and opportunity, with harm reduction education being key to keeping young people alive and well [Kimmel et al. 2021] and reducing the prevalence of risky drinking [Midford et al. 2018].
“Our Safer Summer Era campaign is simply about helping our young people to have a good time, look out for each other, enjoy themselves, get home safely and put steps into place to reduce their risk of harm from alcohol,” Mrs Dean said.
Caption: Youth Solutions CEO Geraldine Dean presents a certificate of appreciation to the Hunt Family Community Foundation Board to recognise their support and donation.
Campaign lead and Youth Solutions Manager Marketing & Engagement, Amanda Dillon, said the Safer Summer Era campaign would employ a number of strategies to share its key messages this season.
“You can expect to see our social media and online communications dedicated to sharing these safety strategies, we’ll also be out and about in the community connecting with young people and their supporters at outreach activities,” Mrs Dillon said. “We’re collating information packs for schools, liaising with local media to help share these messages and of course, we’re working with our incredible youth volunteers to ensure the Safer Summer Era is lived out in our community.”
Among the ways to get involved:
Safer Summer Era – tip highlights:
