DrinkWise Indigenous Education Resources available to Australian teachers through the Government Department of Education Student Wellbeing Hub

DrinkWise partners with well-known Indigenous personalities and sports stars to develop culturally relevant Alcohol Education Resources. The DrinkWise Indigenous Alcohol Education Resources, including videos and supporting Teacher Resources and Student Resources have been created to educate and support yarns about:

• delaying alcohol until at least 18-years-old
• managing peer pressure around alcohol
• making healthy choices
• understanding the cause and effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
• developing solutions to challenging social situations.

These resources aim to support young people to build their reflective skills to assist them in making healthy decisions when faced with challenging situations. We hope that by supporting young people to better understand what is important to them and through learning valuable skills in relation to their decision-making, they can see how behaviours move them toward or away from what is important to them. More broadly, it is hoped that these support materials play a role in helping young Australians make the safe choice not to drink alcohol until they are at least 18-years old, as evidence has shown that underage alcohol consumption can impact the development of the adolescent brain.

You can download the Alcohol Education Videos, Teacher Resources and Student Resources free of charge for educational use. If you have any questions please contact info@drinkwise.org.au for more information.

The DrinkWise Teacher Resources and Student Resources have been codesigned with Indigenous Clinical Psychologists, Indigenous artists and graphic designers and the Richmond Football Club’s centre for Indigenous leadership – Korin Gamadji with input from 13YARN and feedback from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples.

The Teacher Resources and Student Resources are built upon an evidence-informed, culturally appropriate foundation that adopts a strengths-based approach to supporting healthy decision-making. They are mapped to the Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework (SEWB; Gee, Dudgeon, Schultz, Hart and Kelly, 2013) which recognises that to be well, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need to be connected to land, sea, culture and spirituality.

The Indigenous Social and Emotional Wellbeing Framework recognises that to be well, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need to maintain strong connection to the Social and Emotional Wellbeing domains. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples, we also need to think about ones connection to their purpose:

• Connection to body (strong body): feeling physically strong and healthy and being able to listen to what their body is telling them.
• Connection to mind and emotions (strong mind): being aware of their thoughts and feelings and being able to maintain a flexible and healthy relationship with both.
• Connection to family and kinship (strong relationships/strong identity): strong family and kinship systems provide a sense of belonging, identity, security, and stability. These factors are protective factors.
• Connection to community (strong relationships): engaging in opportunities for individuals and families to connect with each other, support each other and work together.
• Connection to culture (strong culture); maintaining a secure sense of cultural identity by participating in practices associated with cultural rights and responsibilities.
• Connection to Country (strong place); connecting to place provides nourishment for the body, mind and spirit.
• Connection to spirituality and ancestors (strong spirit); knowing traditional beliefs and cultural practices and having a purpose greater than oneself (strong purpose).