The Alcohol Education Trust - Teacher Newsletter

 Summer Term Apr 2016 Ed 27

We hope you had a good Easter break – It's a busy half term now with the countdown to exams ahead.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Alcohol Education Trust was one of  twenty charities shortlisted out of the 400 entrants for The Kings Fund GSK IMPACT Awards, for charities assessed to have had the most impact on health in 2016.

We receive a runners up £3,000 award and are looking forward to the awards dinner on the 12th May at the Science Museum. These awards are for charities with an income of up to two million – our income is less than a tenth of that. We are able to support a child with the Talk About Alcohol Programme for just 75p a year, and as you know, manage to keep our work free for schools by applying for grants and raising funds.

Helena Conibear, Director of The Trust commented ‘We are very proud to have been selected for this prize following a very rigorous audit of everything we do by The Kings Fund assessors, and it does credit to our small dedicated team of staff and Trustees. To have achieved this level of recognition for our work having been established in just 2010 is both heartening and gratifying and it wouldn’t have been possible without the time given to the AET by an array of experts from across disciplines relevant to PSHE and alcohol’.

The King’s Fund and GSK, partnering with Comic Relief, launch new programme to improve charity leadership

The AET, as a result of the above, are delighted to have been invited to take part in the  Cascading Leadership programme, a new programme linked with the GSK IMPACT Awards, designed to extend leadership development opportunities across the voluntary and community sector, beginning in May.

Talk About Alcohol listed as a 'promising practice' on the European Platform for Investing in Children

Talk About Alcohol has been listed as a 'promising practice' on the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC).

EPIC is an evidence-based online platform which was launched in 2013.  It aims to provide information about policies, practices and programmes that can help children and their families face up to the challenges that exist in the current economic climate in Europe. The EPIC website is designed to encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration among policymakers and practitioners.

http://europa.eu/epic/practices-that-work/evidence-based-practices/practices/talk-about-alcohol_en.htm

Talk About Alcohol digital learning zone launch 10th June at the Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy, Dorset

The AET will be officially launching the Talk About Alcohol digital learning zone at The Isle of Portland Aldridge Community Academy (IPACA) on the 10th June from 10 am with The Rt Honourable Oliver Letwin, Minister of State saying a few words.

So much more than a website, the site has an interactive body zone, a personality zone, a challenge zone full of games and activities and is designed to be used in the classroom as part of PSHE lessons on alcohol.

The IPACA Academy has a digital classroom sponsored by. Samsung Electronics established to help bridge the digital skills gap in the UK. The Digital Classroom is a multi-use space that supports all age groups, equipped with a range of resources, deploying some of Samsung’s latest mobile, wearable and interactive display technologies making it the perfect location to launch the Talk About Alcohol digital learning zone. If you would like to attend the launch please email kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org

Safer Dorset Fund enables roll out of SEND resources across Dorset

Following the roll out of our SEND resources in Greater London, we are very pleased to have been given a grant from The Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner from their Safer Dorset Fund to support the roll out of the SEND resources for Dorset Schools. The picture and story led activities that build knowledge and resilience strategies around alcohol among vulnerable young people will be made available to all secondary schools as well as Special schools and Pupil Referral Units across Dorset. This will include training in using the materials as well as access to a dedicated area of our website.

The package is available for £90 per school and we are hoping to find funding to enable us to make the resources available across the UK. Please contact hdougan@alcoholeducationtrust.org for further details. You can access a version of the SEND workbook without links to the powerpoints or associated materials via: www.alcoholeducationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/SENDWB_no_links.pdf

Bournemouth film school students build site on responsible drinking

The AET continue to build their relationship with the Digital Film, Computing and Psychology Departments at Bournemouth University. Student Mollie Later and her assisting students are featuring the AET work as a final year project, building a website for students around the risks of binge drinking and student Rufai Amoon is building a bespoke game using Roblox for the Talk About Alcohol website.

Hellos and goodbyes

We are very sad to be saying goodbye to Jane Hutchings. She  has been with the Alcohol Education Trust since 2009 and was fundamental in the establishment of our work as a charity. Jane was the Trust’s first member of staff as our part time schools administrator, moving roles to become our financial administrator. We wish Jane luck at the charity Homestart.

We are very pleased to welcome Julie Sutton who will be replacing Jane. Julie is a certified accountant and has enjoyed a long career leading projects across Barclays. She brings a level of expertise to the AET fundamental to managing our growth and sustainability.

Community fundraising

The Alcohol Education Trust held its second Community fundraising event on the 18th and 19th March, raising nearly £3,000 for the Trust and £1,000 for the local church. The events included a celebration of all things made or created in Dorset, welcomed 80 guests to a Dorset food and drink tasting and supper, an art exhibition and 200 guests to an open morning of stalls and produce.

The Trust are very grateful to Sir Philip and Lady Catherine Williams for  their generosity in allowing the AET to use their home. Sir Philip is the new High Sheriff of Dorset. We are also very grateful to the Dorset producers who supported the events including Dorset Charcuterie, Ford Farm cheeses, Thomas J Fudges, Moores biscuits, Dorset Tea, Leakers bread and olives et al.

Health Behaviour in School-age Children – research from 42 countries over 30 years

The World Health Organisation have published a book Growing up unequal: gender and socioeconomic differences in young people's health and well-being. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2013/2014 survey.

This book is the latest addition to a series of reports on young people's health from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study that has provided information about the health, well-being, social environment and health behaviour of 11-, 13- and 15-year-old boys and girls for over 30 years. This book presents findings from the 2013/2014 survey on the demographic and social influences on the health of almost 220 000 young people in 42 countries and regions in the WHO European Region and North America. Responding to the survey, the young people described their social context, health outcomes, health behaviour and risk behaviours including use of alcohol. 

It offers a fascinating snapshot of youth across Europe and the US – and shows us where the UK stands among its peers. Happily both weekly drinking and levels of drunkeness among under 18’s has steadily declined across the UK over the last decade and we no longer lead the league tables on prevalence of drinking or drunkenness. There is debate as to the causality in the decline in underage drinking across the UK, but the efforts of preventative and harm reduction based alcohol education lessons via the PSHE curriculum in schools certainly plays an important part in ensuring young people make informed and more responsible choices around alcohol.

www.euro.who.int/en/publications/abstracts/growing-up-unequal-gender-and-socioeconomic-differences-in-young-peoples-health-and-well-being.-health-behaviour-in-school-aged-children-hbsc-study-international-report-from-the-20132014-survey

The PSHE Association have drawn on the findings of this report to publish a summary relevant to the UK which you can read here: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/resources/evidence-briefing-pshe-education-pupil-wellbeing?dm_i=HSS,46EWY,GEWRWP,F77TP,1

AET resources comprise of www.alcoholeducationtrust.org and www.talkaboutalcohol.com a Teacher Workbook, booklets ‘Alcohol and You’ for 15yrs+ and ‘Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol’ parent and carer guide. 

We also offer teacher CPD workshops and parent information talks.

For further information on any of the above please contact
Helena Conibear, Founder, Director helena@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Sandra Saint, Parent and Schools Coordinator NE sandra@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Kathryn Arnott-Gent, Parent and Schools Coordinator NW kathryn@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Kate Hooper, Schools Coordinator  kate@alcoholeducationtrust.org
Helen Dougan, Project Manager hdougan@alcoholeducationtrust.org

Trustees
Gordon Redley BEd (Cantab)
Victoria Mc Donaugh MA (Hons), PGCE
Alison Winsborough BMus, PGCE
Patricia Garven Cert Ed.
Rod Hoare, MBE

The Alcohol Education Trust, Frampton House, Frampton, Dorset, DT2 9NH

01300 320 869

Registered Charity Number 1138775

www.alcoholeducationtrust.org