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Youth and community projects

The right track

Auckland City Council is excited about their getting the Eduk8 Trust to run their first Right Track programme in Auckland city this year! The Right Track is an innovative, multi dimensional, interactive programme that looks at the issue of young people and their driving behaviours.

The idea came from policemen Mike Stopforth and Marko Radojkovich who were discouraged by the failure of the system in stopping young people from damaging themselves and others through their driving behaviour. They joined forces with John Finch who has vast experience working with youth and together they came up with the Right Track programme.

In Auckland city the courses will work with the youth whom have not offended or been caught drink driving. Instead it will focus on reaching young people who are influential and leaders in their own communities.

Every young learner is supported by one or more of their support networks at all times. Sessions include a formal video interview by NZ Police about their driving behaviours, courtroom and holding cell experience. They also have hard hitting learning presentations from the NZ Police Serious Crash Squad, a funeral director, an embalmer, Brain Injury Trust staff and a mother that has experienced the grief of losing her son in a motor vehicle crash. The learners are also challenged in the outdoors to become equipped with risk management skills. On a personal level they come face to face with a victim of a drunk driver, share this person's remarkable survival story, and start to understand the devastation that is created through drink driving.

The course finishes with seeing a road crash set up, trauma ward visit and finally a graduation. This Right Track programme works, it reaches young people and delivers the messages in a way that sinks in.

To watch a short current affaire piece profiling the Right Track click the link below and choose "Reality Check" under related video heading.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1491421

Students Against Driving Drunk

Students Against Driving Drunk - SADD is a peer education programme that has been in New Zealand for almost 20 years. The primary objective of SADD is to reduce the harm caused on our roads by drink drivers. The peer education programme is run in secondary schools by students, independently of the school curriculum. The organisation is open to any student and SADD encourages participation from across the year levels. For more information about SADD see the SADD website.

Auckland City road safety is planning to work with the Auckland Brain Injury Association and Auckland city secondary school SADD groups in 2007 to raise awareness about the dangers and harm caused on our roads by drunk drivers. If you would like your school to be involved in this project or want more information contact us.

Its all about choice

Increasing concern about young drivers who are over-represented in minor, serious and fatal crashes prompted Auckland City council and the Auckland District Police to deliver 'It's all about choice' in seven Auckland City schools.

The focus of this project was speed and unlicensed driving. The Serious Crash Unit (SCU) delivered a factual presentation showing the destruction and physics of road crashes, statistics and the law. Students found this both informative and interesting.

Mothers In Support of Safe Driving (MISSD) consists of family and friends of four young boys who tragically lost their lives because of a crash on Te Irirangi Drive in January 2004. The performers, still youths themselves, deliver an entertaining yet serious performance about the choices youth may face and the possible consequences. MISSD carry a powerful message to the audience, 'It's all about choice'. A few words from family and performers to encourage the audience to make the right decisions and keep safe followed each performance.

'It's all about choice' reached approximately 3500 students aged 13 to 19 years old, both male and female (approximately 50% of each). Feedback from both students and teachers was very positive, and many appreciated MISSD sharing their personal and touching message in the hope that young lives will be saved.