PARTY – Prevention of Alcohol Related Trauma in Youth

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, half of the Grade 10 year sat on the steps of Marion Hall for a picnic style lunch before departing for the hospital in Duncan. The PARTY programme describes the route of a patient from the arrival of the paramedics at a vehicle crash site to the trauma room of a hospital. It is not a lecture; it describes the choices available to young adults, choices that might keep them safe or at least safer when they go to parties or out to the bush for a campfire and a few beers. Some of the descriptions are graphic, as are some of the photos. It brings home the message of the need for a good buddy system or a collection plan with parents or a responsible adult that are decided before the teenager leaves the house. The reality is that a parent may be annoyed that their son or daughter has crossed "the stupid line" but they will be so glad that they are not being taken to the trauma room to see a son or daughter with horrific life threatening injuries.

– Debra John, Planning 10