Primary pupils share positive messages

THE credits have rolled in for a group of Kirriemuir youngsters at a celebration of a project encouraging local children to make positive choices.

The Kirrie Town Hall event hosted a series of short films that have been created as part of the scheme spearheaded by local police officers and DD8 Music.

Primary 7 children from Northmuir and Southmuir primaries were involved in the alcohol and drugs awareness project, developed as a means of combating a spike in antisocial behaviour involving some children in the transitional age group heading toward secondary school.

A successful funding bid for cash from the national Choices for Life programme allowed the programme to be developed for the current Kirrie crop of P7 youngsters who are about to head into the holidays before the step up to secondary.

Tayside Council on Alcohol delivered the first phase of sessions on drug and alcohol awareness, peer pressure and the consequences of making poor decisions.

The youngsters then put together nine short films with the help of DD8 Music, Schedule D Productions, community police officer Paul Morgan and his colleagues, and the finished movies were shown at the town hall.

PC Morgan said: “Our hope is that by giving the youngsters a firm base of knowledge and education about substance/alcohol misuse at an early stage, and prior to their teenage years, they will be better equipped to deal with the challenges and pressures they will face.

“On top of that, by holding a familybased event at the end of the programme we hope this will help to raise parental awareness of the issues affecting our teenagers today.

“All going well, if young people understand better the risks of substance and alcohol misuse and the effect it can have on their behaviour, they will make better decisions,” he added.