Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region Dave Grills MLC has welcomed this week’s State Government milestone that the 10,000th student has participated in the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program.
Mr Grills said the award-winning, internationally recognised PARTY program educated young people about the dangers of alcohol consumption and high-risk behaviour.
“With alcohol consumption and drug use prevalent in parts of the Mining and Pastoral Region, I support these types of programs that are providing students with a ‘reality check’ when it comes to learning about what a trauma patient goes through,” he said.
This year, marks the 10th anniversary of the Royal Perth Hospital’s (RPH) program, in WA.
“Students are encouraged to think about the consequences of their actions and consider what their life might be like should that happen to them,” he said.
“The participants have candid conversations about choices and how they could prevent themselves, their friends or family from being injured.”
The program will continue thanks to the announcement of $402,000 from the Road Trauma Trust Account to fund the 2016-17 program, with a major focus on road safety.
“The PARTY program aims to get the next generation of motorists to recognise they must be thinking about road safety each time they get behind the wheel,” he said.
Mr Grills commended the program instigators for putting young people face to face with road trauma victims, providing them with the knowledge of how these people’s lives had changed forever and that better choices could have saved them from the consequences.
“This important program is teaching young adults to recognise risks and make informed choices about their activities and behaviours,” he said.
“In addition to the program at RPH, outreach and rural programs have been developed, tailored to provide targeted preventive education in response to community demand.
“I continue to strongly advocate for more of these types of initiatives to reach our regional and remote areas throughout the Mining and Pastoral Region, where they are desperately needed.”
