Term 1 2018 Parents *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* Positive Choices Issue #11: Keeping you up-to-date with evidence-based drug prevention. View this email in your browser The aim of this e-newsletter is to provide our subscribers with information about new research findings and drug prevention resources, and to share relevant news, conferences and events. Thank you for subscribing to the Positive Choices newsletter, and welcome to our Term 1 issue for 2018. With the start of the new school year, this issue will focus on resources to help teenagers settle in and be prepared to manage stressors that may arise throughout the year. We are also pleased to announce: the next webinar in the Positive Choices webinar series new resources that have been added to the portal the Positive Choices Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander story-telling competition and the trial of the next version of Climate Schools. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to parents in your networks, and encourage them to subscribe at www.positivechoices.org.au. Share Tweet Forward +1 Effective drug prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth: what do we know and what can we do better? Tuesday 13th March at 4pm AEDT We are very excited to announce the next installment in the Positive Choices webinar series! Like all young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers are at risk of drug and alcohol use and related harms. There are unique contexts and factors relating to drug use for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth that require prevention programs to be tailored to be culturally appropriate. This webinar will explore what individual, relationship, community, societal and cultural factors are contributing to and protecting against drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. It will provide attendees with an overview of the current evidence of what programs and program elements are effective in addressing these factors and preventing drug use and it will introduce an innovative computerised school-based prevention program that is being developed to be culturally inclusive for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This webinar will lead to: Understanding what can contribute to or protect against alcohol and drug use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth Improved knowledge about the elements that make drug prevention effective for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth Introduction to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources on Positive Choices and the development of a new resource for schools What time in my state? NSW/ACT/VIC/TAS: 4pm SA: 3.30pm QLD: 3pm WA: 1pm NT: 2.30pm Register here for the webinar In case you missed it... How to talk with teenagers about alcohol use Professor Steve Allsop Available on demand on Positive Choices. What can parents do to prevent teenage substance use? Dr Louise Thornton & Dana Leidl Available on demand on Positive Choices. The Start of Another School Year The start of yet another school year has rolled around and it can be a particularly stressful time for students as they re-adjust to school life. Will friendships be maintained following the long summer break? Are their friends now in different classes? What extra-curricular activities should they get involved in? And what coursework and exams will they have to face this year? Because of the potential for stress and anxiety during this period, it can be a good time to get involved in your teenager's life and establish open communication. Maintaining open communication over the school year will let your teenager know they can turn to you if they are having problems, such as facing peer pressure about alcohol and other drugs. You can read our factsheet, How Parents Can Protect Against Drug Use and Related Harms, to get more information about what you can do to help your teenager, or watch our webinar, What can Parents do to Prevent Teenage Substance Use? It's also a good idea to have an explicit conversation about alcohol and other drugs, to prepare your teenager for experiences they might be exposed to this year. Positive Choices has a range of resources to help you start a conversation, including the factsheets Talking to a Young Person About Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Starting the Conversation When You are Concerned About Drug Use, the latest webinar, How to Talk with Teenagers About Alcohol Use, and two video demonstrations, Making the Link: How to Approach Conversations with Teenagers, and Parents & Teenagers Talk About Alcohol Use. Something you'd like to see on Positive Choices that isn't there? We welcome ideas for new content, so send us an email at info@positivechoices.org.au, and we'll look into it. NEW RESOURCES New to Positive Choices: Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs factsheet Take a look at our latest factsheet, that provides up-to-date, accurate information about Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs. Learn what substances are used, how many people have tried them, and the short- and long-term effects of use. View the factsheet now. LATEST NEWS AND EVENTS Positive Choices is currently running an exciting story-telling competition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students aged 12-14 years. We are collecting positive stories from Aboriginal youth around the country about life in their community. Competition Details: Entries can be written stories (or artwork with a story), a video, speech or song Winner receives a MacBook Air and runner-up receives a $500 JB HiFi voucher Stories are about the positive choices or positive influences in students' lives What can I do? Let your child or their friends know about this competition and support them to enter. For more information visit the competition page. The next iteration in the Climate Schools series, Climate Schools Plus, is being trialled in schools from Term 1, 2018. It includes parents as well as students. The student component is curriculum-based, utilises the existing Climate Schools program and is designed to be implemented with students in Year 8, during their regular Physical Education classes. The new parent component is brief, interactive and accessed entirely online. This cutting-edge research project is being led by a team of researchers from the University of New South Wales, Curtin University, the University of Newcastle and Utrecht University. Schools that are interested in participating should please email c.conroy@unsw.edu.au A brief, 1 minute video introducing the Climate Schools Plus program can be viewed here. UPCOMING EVENTS Listen to the Positive Choices team present, or catch up with us at our booth/display, at these upcoming events. Copyright © 2024 Positive Choices, All rights reserved. The Positive Choices newsletter is sent out once every term, and contains updates and information relating to the Positive Choices website. 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