Contrary to popular opinion, children in the UK are drinking younger than ever before, with devastating consequences. A major 2024 World Health Organization study of 280,000 children across 44 countries, found that Great Britain has the highest rate of child alcohol consumption globally.
* More than a third of children have consumed alcohol by age 11.
* Over 50% of 14 year olds regularly drink alcohol.
The risks of early drinking are severe. Recent research shows that alcohol is especially harmful to the developing teenage brain. Children who begin drinking before age 15 are more likely to experience poor mental health, anti-social behaviour, school exclusion, and long-term dependency.
In order to meet this growing need, Share Shrewsbury has developed extended “ Amy’s Voice” workshops.These hard hitting sessions tell the heart-breaking story of Amy, Jane’s eldest daughter, who battled with alcohol all her adult life, before dying in May 2019.
Jane says
“These workshops are having an real impact, and this is why we want to roll them out in schools. We are busy fundraising and asking businesses if they can help to cover our workshop costs, so that cash strapped schools don’t have to pay”
Share is planning to run alcohol awareness workshops in Shropshire for students across the age range from primary school to Sixth Form.
Lasting up to an hour, these workshops will use a range of interactive approaches to inform, challenge and engage with students.
Feedback has been excellent, with parents reporting that children continue to talk about Amy’s story long after the sessions, engaging their parents in honest conversations about alcohol, and the health risks of drinking.
School teachers, parents and others, are asking for this service to be developed and delivered in schools.
This need has been recognised nationally. In a recent Netmums feature, Share Shrewsbury was described as “inspirational” for taking real stories into classrooms.
Founder Jane Mackenzie, explained:
“There’s no alcohol prevention work being done at the moment and we don’t want to put any barriers in schools’ way, so we will provide our workshops for free. We intend to raise the money needed to run the workshops ourselves. My aim is simple – to keep children safe and save lives.”
The article also captured the voices of children themselves.
One Year 6 pupil reflected:
“It is really nice of her (Jane) to come and tell us to be careful around alcohol… and if anyone offers us alcohol, then we could tell an adult or someone we trust.” Another added:
“If someone offers it to me at this age, I definitely say no because I do not want those effects.”
Local headteacher David Purslow reinforced:
“They become more exposed to outside influences. Having this knowledge is really important for them.”
Jane says:
“We want alcohol to be discussed openly and honestly by parents and teachers, and we’ll be encouraging parents to continue these vital conversations at home. We are planning conversation groups with parents to reinforce and compliment our school based workshops. Working together towards a whole-community approach to challenging the myths about alcohol and reducing alcohol harm.“
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Thankyou
https://www.spacehive.com/amy-s-story-alcohol-awareness-workshops