Stand4 - Drug and Alcohol Education Unit

Commendations

EMERSON COLLEGE
“Emerson is a school for students with learning disabilities. We were able to invite Concern Australia's Values 4 Life STAND4 team along to enhance our on-going Drug Education Program. The workshops the team ran for our senior students were vibrant, fun, dynamic and entertaining. The program was very interactive, incorporating songs, games, music and stories. The team really connected with our students and presented information using a variety of media to maintain student interest and enthusiasm. The STAND4 group are clearly dedicated to promoting students’ positive well-being and I would strongly encourage any school considering booking STAND4 to DO IT!! THEY ARE FABULOUS!!!

NAZARETH COLLEGE
“We at Nazareth College consider the STAND4 team to be a highly professional team. The content of their presentations is deep, relevant, well thought out and extremely well presented through powerful use of multimedia. Their aim comes across very clearly: to enable students to value their personhood and to make choices that celebrate this personhood in their dealing with their fellow students and with all people post schooling. The team members always establish very good rapport with staff and students, are respectful of the ethos of the College and are flexible in varying their content to suit the needs of our students. We have established an ongoing relationship with them and look forward to planning a sequential three-year program for our senior school. I have no hesitation in recommending STAND4 for any school in Australia or worldwide.”

EXCERPT from - Young People’s Involvement Program: Field Visit Report (Dandenong Council)
“Cornerstone Contact Centre received funding through Young People’s Involvement Program to organise STAND4 team to run a workshop on ‘Drugs & Why People Use Them’ in a Youth Organisation (Boys Brigade) and two schools (Emerson School and Nazareth College) in Greater Dandenong. The STAND4 program aims to create opportunities for young people to investigate and debate personal harm reduction strategies, and social issues surrounding substance use in a one day seminar by using games, showing video clips, listening to a live musician perform songs on the issue and asking questions.  At the end of the day each student develops recommendations for Council action to reduce drug-related harms and put them in writing to be passed on to the Mayor of the City…

According to young people…the workshop was very informative and STAND4 Facilitators were great in engaging everyone in discussion and sharing personal experiences. …. As a result of attending a STAND4 workshop, young people felt more empowered to make decisions and form their own opinions about drug and alcohol related harms…According to workshop attendees, more seminars similar to STAND4 should be conducted in schools, to make young people aware of drug and alcohol related harms…Young people suggested all young people should attend a STAND4 workshop in order to be informed about drug and alcohol related harms, and were grateful to be provided with a chance to express their recommendations for Council to reduce drug-related harms and put them in writing to be passed on to the Mayor of the City”

FEEDBACK & EVALUATIONS

• Teacher Feedback – “Fantastically presented, extremely relevant and thought provoking, I’d certainly recommend you, you do a fantastic job…10/10”
• Students – “Today really opened my eyes and made me think about my actions…made me realise how important life is and the choices that you make…I thought this workshop was good because it showed practical solutions for what happens in the real world…this stuff is inspirational!!”
• 93% of workshop participants believed drug education should be a mandatory subject in school curriculum.
• Over 98% of students attending our workshops believed every school should have more of them.
  

(Taken from YPIP (Young People's Involvement Project) City of Greater Dandenong funded Drug Workshops.)