EDUCATION-JAN10-PG06-11:Page 6 06/01/2010 09:33 Page 8
News
Drinkaware
response to
chief medical
officer’s
guidance on
children and
alcohol
R
eacting to the Chief Medical Officer’s
guidance on the consumption of alcohol by
children and young people, Chris Sorek, Chief
Executive of alcohol awareness charity
Arctic website puts pupils
Drinkaware, says:
“The drinking culture in the UK is entrenched
in 'pole' position to study
and many young people see drinking alcohol as a
rite of passage, so this guidance from the Chief
Medical Officer is extremely useful. It’s imperative
environmental change
that from an early age, we start to educate
children and young people about the dangers of
alcohol misuse.
D
iscovering the Arctic, a new website featuring a unique collection of videos,
“Parents play a crucial role in shaping their
photographs and resources about the region, will put GCSE-level students in ‘pole’
children’s attitudes towards alcohol, often
position to study the worldwide implications of changes to its environment and peoples.
without even realising it. Children need to know
First-hand stories from people like Inuit lawyer Aaju, biologist Lily Peacock, and Nancy, a
the facts and parents are in the best position to
resident of Umingmaktok in Canada’s Nunavut Territory, encourage visitors to go on a
give them information - research shows that half
‘journey across the top of the world’, to consider what it’s like to live and work in some of
of 16 and 17 year olds listen to their parents
the most Northerly communities on Earth.
about alcohol. In the same way that parents teach
The site investigates how climate change affects the Arctic’s environments, indigenous
children about fire safety or safe sex, parents
people and wildlife and explains how scientists have used the International Polar Year
should not shy away from educating their
(2007-8) as an opportunity to research the international impacts of changes to shipping,
children about the effects alcohol misuse can
governance and exploitation of the area’s resources.
have.
From exploring the North West passage to learning more than 80 officially recognised
“It can be very difficult for parents to know
Inuit words for ice, students can also take away ‘cool facts’ such as ‘every year a hotel is
how and when to talk to their children about
carved from snow and frozen water in Northern Sweden’ or ‘the town of Churchill is also
alcohol, but with the right support and advice, it
known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World’.
can hopefully seem less daunting. The
Building on the success of the award-winning Discovering Antarctica, this website has
Drinkaware website offers alcohol-awareness
been developed as another interactive educational resource for schools by the Royal
information for parents and professionals
Geographical Society (with IBG), in partnership with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth
working with young people, making it easier to
Office (FCO), the British Antarctic Survey, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.
address drinking issues with youngsters.
Foreign Office Minister Chris Bryant, welcoming the launch of the website said: “The
www.drinkaware.co.uk/talking-to-under-18s”
Polar regions are among the most rapidly changing environments on Earth and a
barometer for the future health of the planet. We are proud to have commissioned and
funded this educational website, accessible to young people and adults alike, that provides
a fascinating insight into what is really happening in this remote, beautiful landscape, as a
result of global climate change. It just underlines how important it is that we achieve an
ambitious deal in Copenhagen."
Drinkaware tips for parents include:
Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the RGS-IBG, said: “Discovering the Arctic is a rich resource
Be a positive role model – adults should drink
which we hope will enhance teaching and learning about the region in schools. Although it
within the daily recommended guidelines (3-4
has been designed for 14 to 16-year-olds, the material can easily be adapted, enabling
units a day for men, 2-3 for women)
students of all ages to understand how the people and environments in this challenging
Introduce the topic early - the average age for
and fascinating wilderness are responding to our rapidly changing world.”
young people to have their first alcoholic drink
Peter Mather, Head of Geography at Greenford High School in Southall, Middlesex, who
is 13.
trialled the site with a class of Year 8 pupils said: “The brilliant thing about Discovering the
Don’t make alcohol a taboo subject - ensure
Arctic is that it’s so new and up-to-date. It really allows teachers to demonstrate to pupils
your child can talk freely with you about
what’s happening in the region right now. Before we started using it, the majority of my
alcohol. If you’re not sure how to start the
class just saw it as the ‘North Pole,’ a vast expanse with not much there except a few polar
conversation, soap operas or news stories can
bears, but the wealth of resources has helped them to connect with the complexities of the
provide a useful trigger.
region, the diverse environments and communities that are found there, and their
If your child does get drunk try not to overreact
important relationships with the rest of the world.”
- talk to them about it the next morning: listen
Discovering the Arctic is designed to be navigated by both teachers and pupils, with
to what they have to say and try to understand
downloadable information and activities devised for individual, pair or group work, and
their situation.
multimedia materials that can also be used on an interactive whiteboard.
u020 7307 7453
uwww.discoveringthearctic.org.uk
uwww.drinkaware.co.uk
8
January 2010
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