The City of Melville in Western Australia was proud to be a finalist in the 2012 Australian Medical Association (WA) and Healthway Healthier WA Awards, nominated for its educational DVD, The Gathering.
The Award recognises and celebrates the outstanding commitment of local organisations who have developed initiatives and programs that impact positively on the health and wellbeing of the Western Australian community.
City of Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey said that, while the City did not take out the winners award on the night, it was a great honour to be nominated amongst such a strong field of finalists, including Edith Cowan University with their Smokefree ECU 2012 Program, the City of Vincent with their Menu Wise Kilojoule Labelling Initiative and the winner, HBF, who were awarded for their highly successful Run for a Reason program.
“This nomination was already a win for the City in recognising all the hard work that has gone into creating The Gathering DVD, a resource which is proving to have excellent outcomes in alcohol education amongst young people,” he said.
“With adolescents representing 20 percent of the City’s population, we recognised the need to effectively engage young people and raise their awareness of the harms associated with binge drinking.
“The Gathering reflects social situations currently experienced by young people and the contemporary teenage drinking culture. The 27 minute professionally produced drama depicts a realistic unsupervised ‘warts and all’ teen party scenario.
“Through a realistic drama and storyline the short movie shows ways to prevent and minimise alcohol related harm and assists in making the decision not to drink alcohol easier. The Gathering is unique in that it enables adolescents to view the devastating effects of excessive alcohol consumption while not being under the influence of alcohol.
“The DVD is also accompanied by user-friendly resource material that links into the high school curriculum in both Health and English study areas.”
The script for The Gathering was developed after consultation with local high school students aged 14 to 17 years old about typical events occurring at teen ‘gatherings’. One hundred and twenty high school students gave their feedback on the draft script to ensure realism, use of appropriate language and credibility of the characters and scenarios.
Local police, the Sexual Assault Resource Centre and Child and Adolescent Health Service also provided ongoing advice and support on the script, project development and funding opportunities.
The Gathering is available for purchase. For more information visit www.melvillecity.com.au/thegathering or call 08 9364 0823.
