DRUGS, LIFE AND YOU

Drugs, Life and You aims to help young people to develop life skills that will equip them as they navigate the increasingly complex world in which they are growing up.

The programme is led by Hope UK youth workers. Each of the eight sessions involves games, discussions and other activities.

The content is designed to follow evidenced-based best practice from around the world.

WHO/UNODC 2018

Characteristics of programmes for prevention education based on social competence and influence deemed to be associated with efficacy and/or effectiveness based on expert consultation

They use interactive methods.
They are delivered through a series of structured sessions (typically 10–15 sessions), taking place once a week, often providing booster sessions over multiple years.
They are delivered by a trained facilitator (also including trained peers).
They provide an opportunity to practise and learn a wide array of personal and social skills, in particular, coping, decision-making and resistance skills, especially in relation to substance use.
They change perceptions of the risks associated with substance use, emphasizing the immediate consequences.
They dispel misconceptions regarding the normative nature and the expectations linked to substance use.

United Nations 2019

In early adolescence, additional effective strategies include prevention education based on social competence and influence.

About the Course

The course should usually be delivered across usually ten sessions/lessons.
It can be delivered in various settings – including school lessons and youth club environments.
It is aimed at teenagers, and is adapted to take into account the needs of the learners.
Each session should be at least 1 hour long – ideally 90-120 minutes.
There should ideally be no more than a gap of one week between each session, but we are happy to discuss this.
We are also happy to discuss with you the sessions you think will more enhance your own work with your students/youth group. The choices are outlined below:

INTRODUCTIONS

to enable learners to get to know each other, their facilitators and the ideas behind the programme.

SOCIAL CAPITAL

(Managing Peer Pressure) – to enable learners to develop peer-resistance skills.

DRUGS

to enable learners to gain a basic knowledge of drugs and their effects, including the dangers of county lines.

SELF ESTEEM

to enable learners to explore issues of self-esteem.

CONFIDENCE

to enable learners to develop skills that can build confidence.

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

to enable learners to understand what underlies healthy and unhealthy relationships.

ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOUR

to enable learners to develop assertiveness skills

PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS & ENDINGS

a look at protective behaviours strategies, plus enabling learners to bring all their learning together and decide what they will carry forward.

DECISION-MAKING

to enable learners to be more aware of how they make decisions.

CRITICAL THINKING

to enable learners to improve their critical thinking skills

If you would like to book the ‘Drugs, Life and You’ course for your school or youth group, please download and complete the booking form.

BOOKING FORM

COMMENTS FROM OTHER COURSES

‘It wasn’t like learning, yet I really felt like we learnt really important stuff’

‘I feel more comfortable spending time on my own now, it’s okay to think about stuff because it helps me work out what to do’

‘I loved practising situations, I had an issue with someone at college and I felt able to deal with it’

‘It was really good – the course didn’t try to hide anything, it told you what you needed to be told. They try to protect you in school – but this course was a very open environment. Other people found it very comfortable to talk openly. The whole approach is very welcoming. Even if you didn’t see the other group members for a whole week, it was easy to get talking.’

‘My son and two other boys who did the course are on the same football team. When I drove them to training they were chatting non-stop about what they learned on the course, and it was amazing to hear them trying to recall all of the things they learned. It made me realise how much drugs talk they are exposed to at school, and how useful this course is to give them the knowledge they wouldn’t otherwise have.’