Recently, Sam Whish-Wilson and I had the pleasure of accompanying a group of Year 10s to Gold Coast University Hospital for the P.A.R.T.Y Programme. Initial feedback from the students was incredibly positive and they got a lot out of the day.

P.A.R.T.Y stands for Prevention of Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth. Their behaviour and attitude was outstanding!

Students wrote the following reflections about their experience:

"The team at GCUH were incredible and their ability to communicate topics that would usually be considered difficult, to the students, was admirable. The activities that we took part in were not only fun, but also educational. I learnt so much from this one day and for that, I am so grateful to everyone who made this possible for me. A truly awesome experience. School Excursions have never been better!" - Eva Wingrove

"The P.A.R.T.Y program or the Prevent Alcohol Risk Trauma Youths program generally seemed like your typical drug talk, that almost every adolescent experiences. However, to my surprise I found that it is much more than that. Initially we were taught the effects drugs and alcohol has on the body, by trying to complete a set of tasks whilst wearing drunk simulation glasses. We were also shown some of the stories of teens who went through traumatic experiences, which left a large impact on us as some of the pictures and stories were horrific. The activities we experienced made us question some of the choices we made and were considering making, as we came to realise even the smallest actions could have the largest consequences." - Nick Tan

"Despite knowing how dangerous drugs and alcohol are in general, seeing and hearing about the devastating consequences of bad decisions has explained the severity of the situations people can get themselves into. This has been a life changing experience, not only for myself, but also for my peers around me. I am glad that we were able to learn about these terrible events through such a fun, interactive and interesting experience. I have learnt that asking for help is always the right option no matter what the situation is." - Nikhil Patel

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