‘Smashed’ in NSW

Australia likes a drink and teens are initiated into that culture young, often with some pretty bad consequences.

So, it’s timely that Smashed Live, the global education program dedicated to reducing underage alcohol consumption, is heading to schools in NSW to help teens better understand the dangers of drinking underage.

Facilitated by Gibber Australia, the preventative program tours schools with a live theatre performance and interactive workshops delivered by professional actors, supported by teaching resources, a parent’s guide and a comprehensive evaluation framework.

Schools in Sydney’s southwest are the first to receive the program with the tour then to visit schools in various regions across NSW, reaching more than 40,000 students nationally by the end of May 2022.

Andrew Yates, Head Teacher of Student Wellbeing at Terrigal High School commented, “Smashed has been an important part of our wellbeing program since 2018. Gibber present the dangers and consequences of drinking alcohol under-age in a way that our students really engage with. They recognise the characters and the whole thing from the language used to the humour is on their level and the students appreciate and respond to that.”

“Watching them interact with the actors and working out ways for the characters to deal with peer pressure is great to see and shows us as staff that the program is working.”

The program is intended to help reduce the prevalence of early alcohol use among young people by engaging participants in a safe and motivational learning environment. It is designed to enable young people to explore the dangers and consequences of underage drinking and to equip them with the facts, skills and confidence to make responsible choices and foster informed attitudes that reduce alcohol-related harm among teens.

Smashed Live was launched in Australia in 2018, with the program having reached more than 104,000 students, with 563 performances across 474 schools. In July 2021, the program was further extended with the launch of an online version, a free one-hour session that follows the same three characters in an interactive e-learning module. This allows for all students across the nation, particularly those in regional or remote areas, to access the skills and knowledge delivered by the program.

Post-performance evaluation of students confirms that 95 per cent have been able to accurately identify the key dangers and risks associated with underage drinking after taking part in the Smashed program.

The live course is linked to state health and physical education curricula for the age group, targeted to year 8 and 9 students and is delivered via schools or the online program can be completed by individuals in their own time.