Teens address alcohol culture

Parents, carers and teenagers will have a chance to gain an insight into the region’s alcohol culture at a performance and information night in Horsham Town Hall.

Comedian Fiona O’loughlin will be guest speaker at the event, co-ordinated by Horsham Rural City Council’s Youth CAN – Changing Alcohol Norms – project participants and regional schools.

The Youth CAN project aims to encourage more people to socially support each other to reduce risky drinking, resulting in reduced harm for themselves, their family and friends, those in the vicinity and the broader community.

O’loughlin, recent winner of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! will discuss how she has overcome a serious alcohol addiction and made positive change in her life.

Council community services director Kevin O’brien encouraged people to attend the event.

“We are very excited to have Fiona attending the information evening as she has an inspiring story to tell about overcoming addiction and will encourage our message that ‘It’s okay to say no’,” he said.

The event is in response to community insights from the Youth CAN project and a recent Wimmera Drug Action Taskforce survey, where 74 percent of Wimmera people said there was not enough alcohol and other drug information provided in the region.

The Youth CAN project has worked closely with Horsham St Brigid’s College staff and students on a performance-based education series that complements the existing alcohol and other drugs curriculum.

Year-10 students will perform short plays at the event and information from regional alcohol and other drug services will be available.

The students will be involved in a full-day play writing and performance workshop with professional actor and theatre-maker Jim Lawson.

Mr O’brien said the play workshop sought to find out more about alcohol culture in Horsham, particularly in regard to peer pressure and the community’s relationship with alcohol.

“These workshops will give students the opportunity to think about, talk about, write about and perform short plays as a means of communicating what they feel the biggest problems are through performance,” he said.

The event is on June 22 from 6pm to 9pm. Entry is free, however a ticket is required.

People can visit horshamtownhall.com. au/hthevent/its-ok-to-say-no-informa tion-night/ for tickets.

The Youth CAN project is part of the Vichealth Alcohol Culture Change Initiative, which aims to change cultures of risky drinking in Victoria.

“Fiona has an inspiring story to tell about overcoming addiction” – Kevin O’brien