STUDENT WELLBEING: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION Workshop 4: Resilience Approach to Drug Education

Whakatauki Ka pu te ruha Ka hao te rangatahi The old net is cast aside The new net goes fishing Past experiences of teaching and learning that are no longer useful can be put aside. New structures and visions are cast into our learning communities to reward us all.

Workshop Intentions  Explore a resilience approach to effective drug education.  Develop an understanding of key features and strategies for effective drug education and enhancing student resilience (using the newly released Drug Education Matrix: Levels 1 – 8)  Explore approaches to review school wide policies and practices relating to Effective Drug Education through a strength based approach.

Chunking the day  Prior knowledge  Increasing knowledge  Reflection leading to action

Our prior knowledge on Drug Education Record on stickies your thoughts/ideas on the following questions.  The most important thing for me in teaching drug education is?  The most challenging thing for me in drug education is?  The most useful thing I have found in teaching drug education is?

What is a Drug? think/pair/share Write your own definition and share with the person beside you Share with larger group.

Promoting Student Health and Wellbeing A Guide to Drug Education in Schools  Refer to the above resource and find ‘Definition of a Drug’ Page Number:  Compare this to your own definition

Definition ‘ A drug can be defined as any chemical substance which effects the way a person’s mind or body works. Drugs include illegal substance such as heroin, cocaine or cannabis but also the more ‘acceptable’ and legal substances such as alcohol, tobacco and both medicines prescribed by doctors or those you can buy without prescription, such as headache tablets.’ -Practical Partnerships pg 99, Commonwealth of Australia 2001

Own thinking around Drugs and Drug Education  In pairs discuss your statement and then make a decision as to where you would place this on the continuum  Discuss choices Agree ________________________________ Disagree

The New Zealand Curriculum, 2007 “In health education, students develop their understanding of the factors that influence the health of individuals, groups and society… Students develop competencies for mental wellness … Students build resilience through strengthening their personal identity and sense of self-worth, through managing change and loss, and through engaging in processes for responsible decision making…”

Why Drug Education? Drug Education is an important component of the key learning of Mental Health. “Three decades of extensive research into the effectiveness of school based drug education has highlighted the complexity of addressing harmful use of drugs by young people and the need for multifaceted evidence based approaches… Programmes that integrate comprehensive curriculum implementation with whole school approaches and community involvement are most likely to be successful in reducing drug related harm amongst young people.” -Drug Education Matrix of Learning Outcomes for Levels 1-8 within the New Zealand Health and Physical Education Curriculum (Draft)

Promoting Student Health and Wellbeing A Guide to Drug Education in Schools Complete the Promoting Student Health and Wellbeing A Guide to Drug Education in Schools Bingo with a partner.

What does the research say?  Choose one of the readings and silent read – record thoughts on the sheet provided  Share with a pair  Report findings from the pair

Harm minimisation/Harm reduction Approach  Read ‘Minimising Drug-Related Harm’ Drug Education Guidelines, pg  Divide into 2 groups  On the paper provided record any responses to the 2 questions: What are the advantages of ‘harm minimisation’ and ‘zero tolerance’ to drug education? What are the disadvantages of ‘harm minimisation’ and ‘zero tolerance’ to drug education?  Swap over  Report back

Resiliency Activity

The Resilience Connection “ An environmental approach to drug education recognises there are many factors in family, cultural, economic, political, social and physical environments that influence drug use and misuse. While schools can do little about mitigating risk factors in the wider environment, they can strengthen protective factors in the school environment through adopting whole school policies and practices that support an ethos of care and high expectation, are responsive to the cultural and social needs of the community and where students feel valued, secure and connected…” -Drug Education Matrix of Learning Outcomes for Levels 1-8 within the New Zealand Health and Physical Education Curriculum (Draft)

Resilience Research “The overall message from prevention research is that schools can prevent the onset, severity and duration of problematic substance use, bullying, violence and mental health problems by undertaking a process of developing a culture that promotes resilience.” - Fuller 2001

Traits/family/school/community Belonging and connectedness to peers, family, school and community support resilience and are protective of problematic substance use.

Being resilient  Personal attributes/skills:  healthy relationships – socially competent  creative, flexible, solves problems  independent and sense of self-efficacy and mastery  positive, sense of purpose, humour.  Environmental supports:  bonds/support from family/friends/work/local community  belonging to group/social club/sport/hobby etc.  access to help/services.

Comprehensive drug education strategies

Curriculum Teaching and Learning Drug Education Matrix Key components of evidence based drug education  Effects on well-being, choices and consequences  Communication and relationships  Strategies to support and protect self and others  Rights, responsibilities, policies and laws  Critical thinking about societal issues, and critical action. Drug Education Matrix – Pg 31

Drug Education Matrix cont…  Choose a level of the Matrix that you are familiar with  Look at the suggested learning outcomes  Identify existing opportunities that students have to engage in learning around the outcomes  Highlight areas where learning is not occurring  Consider what opportunities could be included - (Use resources available)  Share back ideas

Policy Making Could include;  A rationale  A preventative Approach to harmful drug use  Intervention  Procedures for identifying and monitoring students with drug-related problems  Support and referral  Safety Procedures  Evaluation

Policy Making cont…  In pairs take 2 of the suggested policy headings and using the resources available draft some key statements that you consider to be essential in a policy.  Share back with the group  These will be collated and ed to you

Evaluating Outside Providers Effective drug education programmes in schools are based on the health and physical education curriculum and delivered by appropriately trained and supported teachers. (Drug Education: A Guide for Principals and BoTs) At times schools may want to use external providers to strengthen their curriculum-based approach. Providers must be able to show the ways their sessions meet quality standards for drug education... (Strengthening Drug Education in school Communities Pg 14)

Consider your Whole School Approach What we are doing?  Complete the overview grid - ‘A Resilience approach to Drug Education’ Consider what needs to be done?  Using the action sheet complete ‘What we could do?’

Revisit our initial questions Using the different coloured stickies provided revisit the questions and make your responses.

Contact Details Barbara Batchelor Student Wellbeing: Mental Health Education Project Co-ordinator University of Canterbury, Education Plus Ph