Webinar: Effective drug prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth

The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney.

1 hour webinar recording and handout, available on demand. 

This webinar is for teachers, parents and others who are seeking information about effective substance-use prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.

Like all young people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers are at risk of drug and alcohol use and related harms. However, research suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are more likely to initiate drug use at an earlier age and show riskier patterns of use, leaving them more at risk of drug-related harms and associated problems later in life. 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. It will also 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:

• An understanding of 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.
• An introduction to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources on Positive Choices and the development of a new resource for schools.

This webinar was developed by Dr Mieke Snijder and Ms Briana Lees at the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney and informed by a review of the research evidence on this topic.

(Webinar conducted on 13/3/18)