Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth Program

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:43): Last week, I took the opportunity to join year 10 students from Kildare College in my electorate of Torrens to attend the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth program (known as the P.A.R.T.Y. program) at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. The full-day, in-hospital, interactive trauma prevention program for young Australians, delivered at both the Royal Adelaide and Lyell McEwin hospitals, seeks to effect behavioural change in young people in the prime of their physiological, cognitive, psychological and social development. It assists students to learn to identify risks, make responsible decisions and, ultimately, avoid risk-taking behaviour. The program is a dynamic, interactive injury prevention and health promotion initiative for young people.

Experts tell us that youth is a stage of life characterised by rapid psychological and physical development, when young people progress from a dependent child to independent adults. With the adolescent brain still developing, teens often act on their emotions and impulses, sometimes with highly detrimental impacts on their own health and wellbeing as well as that of others. Within this window of development (15 to 25 year olds), risky behaviour is especially prevalent, with 40 per cent of all deaths trauma related. Many more suffer the consequences of involvement in a trauma situation, often the result of a toxic combination of alcohol and/or drugs, coupled with risk-related behaviours. Tragically for those involved, most trauma situations were preventable.

SA Health and the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network offer the program, which is a worldwide trauma prevention initiative sponsored by AAMI, and the first of its kind to be held in South Australia. Kildare College year 10 students were exposed to some of the tragic consequences of poor decision-making, alcohol and drug abuse and the choices that ultimately lead to trauma. Accidents studied were road traffic related; inattentive pedestrians, including those playing Pokémon; distractions while driving; driving under the influence; speeding; and jetty jumping. They heard from clinicians from the emergency department, the intensive care unit, doctors, nurses, the SA Ambulance Service, paramedics, organ donor coordinators, allied health professionals and those involved in the rehabilitation of trauma patients.

The students progress through a number of interviews and real-life clinical scenarios and the rehabilitation process. The girls were able to go behind the scenes in the emergency department and the intensive care unit, where mock resuscitations were performed by the students. This was certainly an eye-opening and confronting experience for them. The comprehensive nature of the program explained clearly that, although death is a possible real outcome, many others are left with permanent debilitating disabilities. They were faced with the fact that a single, impulsive decision could be life changing.

The day culminated in hearing Nick's story, a young man who is now a quadriplegic due to a motorbike accident. A survivor, Nick spoke about the choices and events that led to his injuries and how it changed his life forever. Teacher, Zefi Pezos, the year 10 wellbeing coordinator at Kildare said that, whilst parents play a vital role in keeping their children safe, Kildare College continues to encourage and educate the girls to engage in responsible decision-making and ultimately avoid risk-taking behaviour. This is why the college accepted an invitation to participate in the P.A.R.T.Y. Program with the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Year 10 student, Georgia Brunnings, said that the P.A.R.T.Y. Program was:

…an absolutely amazing experience that opened the eyes of every student that attended and left us all with much to think about. Even though these programs won't completely eradicate the problem, education plays a major role in preventing risk-related trauma. We are so grateful to the P.A.R.T.Y. Program for giving us an education that has the potential to someday save one of our lives. We experienced what it would be like to be involved in an event in which trauma took place from both a medical professional and patient point of view.

The realism and depth of the experience being held in a hospital has left a significant and lasting impression on the year 10 cohort in attendance of the consequences of trauma and risk-taker behaviour. Kildare College has committed to sending another cohort of year 10 students in 2017.

The P.A.R.T.Y. Program aims to keep young people safe, promote healthy lifestyles and prevent the devastating effect preventable injuries and death can have on our youth, their families and the community. Sharing time with Kildare students participating in the P.A.R.T.Y. Program—an important initiative for our young people, especially when the number of trauma-related incidents in this age group is on the rise—was a worthwhile experience.

During these years, our youth should be experiencing what is often referred to as 'having the time of their lives'. In doing so, we want them all to keep safe and make decisions that will not impact negatively on the rest of their lives and that of their families.

Time expired.

Mr TRELOAR: Deputy Speaker, I draw your attention to the state of the house.

A quorum having been formed: