INVITATION

Dear Learning Facilitator, The Dalgarno Institute, a non profit, public interest community based organisation, have over a 150 years experience in providing proactive and protective resources and education options on alcohol and other drug issues to the Australian community. We currently have an exciting new schools based initiative:

• No Brainer – for year 7-9’s
• Ripped Off - for year 10-12

This incursion program offers a creative pedagogy aimed at helping young people and teenagers more effectively engage with the reality and inevitability of alcohol and other drugs in their current culture. Our approach emphasises ‘minimising harm by maximising prevention’. Thus the seminars focus on not only the very real option of refusal, but also assist students to effectively consider these options. More than that, we provide you with a follow-up affective domain education journey that can help enable students to become positive change agents in their own peer settings.

The seminars are fully V.E.L.S interfaced and also dovetailed with the Student Welfare Coordinators guide for ‘Preventing Drug Related Harm’.

Whilst we do not charge for initial incursion, we have a number of funding options based on the schools needs, ranging from a gold coin donation per student for a 75 -90 minute seminar to negotiated pricing for longer seminars or full days. Sincerely, The NO Brainer Education Team

RATIONALE

To provide harm prevention – abstinence focused resources that can be delivered to schools by The Dalgarno Institute (and/or other trained and designated facilitators or other partner agencies).  All scientific and academic data proves conclusively that any substance use is detrimental to the brain of children and adolescents, clearly stating that at this formative stage of brain development there is NO safe level of alcohol or other drug use – so abstinence is the safest and best option and should be aggressively and consistently promoted across the community!

The 2010 National Drug strategy states  that Harm Minimisation - “Involves a range of approaches to prevent and reduce drug-related harm including prevention; early intervention; specialist treatment; supply control; safer drug use; and abstinence.”

Evidence suggests that the imperative of ‘abstinence and prevention’ focused model of education for the under 25 group is difficult to locate and/or access; we seek to provide that option through direct delivery or referral to other like-focused agencies.
"Young people have a right to grow up in a society where they are protected from pressures to drink and from the harm done by alcohol.”   World Health Organisation

FEEDBACK

“Thanks so much for the sensational sessions you guys ran for our year 8 students last week. They had a huge impact on some of our students and brought the truth into light about the lies our students are fed through the media, marketing and society in general... We ran a Binge Drinking Seminar as a part of our ‘Year 10 Resiliency Day’; The No Brainer resources are sensational. We used the recent "Don't turn your night out into a nightmare" TV adds to get the kids thinking of the consequences of alcohol abuse to kick off and then worked through the worksheets, postcards for our newly elected State Politician and the pledge poster. Well done Dalgarno, the resources really help to generate discussion and the students remembered the key themes from your session last year….Thanks for the effort you put into these resources, they will help to save some of our precious young people's lives. (Private School - Peninsula)

“I was overjoyed with the wonderful presentation you gave my year 10 group of students yesterday, and from the [student] feedback it went over very well indeed… The Students were still talking about it days later!”   (Private School - Inner northern suburbs)

“As college chaplain it was a dream come true to have The Dalgarno Institute and the No Brainer-alcohol and other drugs seminar presented here with our year 8’s. Not only were the seminars highly informative but they were also engaging and thought provoking for our students and staff.  The presenter was highly passionate, well versed in the subject matter and inspiring... I personally enjoyed presenting the follow up session provided in the ‘NO Brainer’ Kit with students and felt that they were well received.  The highlights were students telling me things that they never knew about alcohol and other drugs and seeing them writing out their pledges”.   (Public School – South eastern suburbs)

PROSPECTUS

For further and full overview of program please feel free to down load this PDF (click here).

God bless,
Mr. Shane Varcoe - Executive Director