Driving and drinking? No, thanks

 

Introduction

The problem we want to face is common to all our countries and it is a matter of fact that alcohol- abuse can create disadvantages among all the students of the communities where our school are situated and can also cause social exclusion. Statistics show that in the European Union countries traffic accidents kill nearly 40,000 people each year and about a quarter of those deaths are related to alcohol. Youthful age is one of the most important variables related to crash risk, young people aged between 16-24 are actually more likely to be victims - killed or injured - in drink drive accidents than anyone else. The young generation that is more and more fascinated by the so-called, "alcopop culture” and “Binge drinking” is rising all across Europe. Young drivers are inexperienced not only in driving but in drinking and the combination of these two activities together with driving inexperience and immaturity are considered to be the main causes of motor vehicle crashes among drivers ages 16 to 20, in particular when alcohol is involved. By comparing information, exchanging data and joining personal experiences we think that we can get positive effects.

The Project

The project “Driving and drinking? No, thanks” aims at creating a prevention-campaign to decrease underage-drinking and excessive alcohol-consumption, persuade drinkers not to drive after drinking and reduce alcohol-involved accidental injuries and deaths.
There will be three stages.

  • Analysis of the data concerning alcohol-consumption and drunk-driving  The students will make a survey on students’ drinking-habits and attitudes towards drinking, an analysis of the most popular drinks, a comparison of the regulations and the laws concerning drinking-abuse among the teenagers in the different countries, a survey on the selling of alcoholics in public places, a collection of data concerning crashes due to alcohol-abuse in collaboration with the local police. Data will be exchanged and compared, a common brochure will be produced to be distributed in order to raise everybody’s awareness on the problem.

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  • Preparation of the campaign The students will make a video ( with interviews to accident-injured young people), a spot for advertising the problem, a poster and a brochure with some useful rules and suggestions to respect.

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  • Dissemination of the campaign – organisation of a concert The students will organise a common campaign to arise awareness organising workshops addressed to teenagers informing and distributing the material produced and a concert possibly simultaneously with a connection web-cam. All the products will be assembled in a dvd and published on the school-websites. Products and activities will be in the local language and in English.
     
The objectives

The project will be addressed to pupils 16-17 years old and different subjects will be involved Biology, chemistry, IT technologies, Heath Education, “Design Graphics/ICT” and “Food Technology” so that sections of the activities that will be done to develop the promlem of “excessive alcohol drinking are included in the school curricula. As far as the participating students and teachers the main general objectives of the project will be the following:

  • to establish intercultural friendship between the participating schools;

  • to make them develop the European dimension through co-operation and live experiences of contact in a European context;

  • to involve students in friendship groups which would exchange information regularly;

  • to make them co-operate in a multiracial and multicultural context enlarging their personal development;

  • to make them use the new TIC technologies such as digital camera, video-camera, hypertext programs and the internet for communication;

  • to allow participating teachers an insight into different educational system, and to exchange ideas and practices; The main specific objectives of the project are:

  • to increase young people's involvement in youth health-related policies, especially alcohol-related issues;

  • to raise awareness of the effects of alcohol, in particular among young people;

  • to reduce substantially the number of young people who start consuming alcohol and delay the age of onset of drinking by young people;

  • to reduce substantially the occurrence and frequency of high-risk drinking among adolescents; minimize the pressures on young people to drink, especially in relation to alcohol promotions, free distributions, advertising, sponsorship and availability, with particular emphasis on special events

  • to support actions against the illegal sale of alcohol;

  • to reduce substantially alcohol-related harm, especially accidents, assaults and violence, and particularly as experienced by young people;

  • to make young people take responsibilities as important members of society.