Respect: earned, not injected (up to you)

• Linked Up program and high school students from south-west Sydney
• Filmotion Productions
• Drug and Alcohol Multicultural Education Centre
• Outloud (formerly Bankstown Youth Development Service)

Video length: 3:26

This short video provides information about performance enhancing drugs through the story of a young man who finds ways to manage peer pressure to try steroids (performance and image enhancing drugs). The video was developed as part of the "Linked Up" health and well-being program. It was developed in collaboration with organisations that work in multicultural drug and alcohol issues, and youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The students identified pressure to use performance enhancing drugs as an issue relevant within their age group. In addition to providing information on the effects of steroid use, this video also provides young people tips on how to avoid giving in to peer pressure. The storyline demonstrates a number of drug refusal skills in the context of performance and image enhancing drugs that could be applied to alcohol and other drugs more broadly. The diverse group of students featured in the video make the video relevant to young people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

• Peer resistance skills in a situation where there is strong peer pressure to use drugs.
• Increased knowledge of steroid-related effects and harms.

Expert Review*:
The video is developed by a credible and respected organisation who are experts in multicultural drug and alcohol issues. It is highly relevant to the cultural context of Australia and has been developed using best-practice co-design methodologies working together with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Whilst the effectiveness of the video itself has not been tested, information provided in the video aligns with the evidence base regarding what is known about steroids. The visual format has the potential to engage students who are less receptive to traditional lesson structures.     

* Review provided by researchers at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney.