P.A.R.T.Y Program

A group of Year 10 Somerset students attended the P.A.R.T.Y Program at the Gold Coast University Hospital, Wednesday 25 July. The P.A.R.T.Y (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) initiative aims to enlighten teenagers, from 15 to 19, with information to enable them to recognise injury prone situations, then to make appropriate choices and also to adopt their behaviour to minimise the risks.  

Our excursion to the Gold Coast University Hospital was a day of learning. This was done through PowerPoint presentations, interviews with patients, professional staff, interacting with hospital equipment and hands-on and immersive scenarios. We were fortunate enough to not only hear and learn from the staff members of the trauma hospital, however also the patients that have been affected by trauma. Two trauma patients talked to our group about their painful journey and it allowed us to enter their perspective, to understand how small mistakes (such as mobile phones while driving, drink driving, Illicit drugs, etc.) can have such a negative impact on your future and on the futures of the people around you such as your family.     As a summary, the Program that my peers and I experienced was designed to immerse our group with emergency service professionals, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and trauma surviving patients. This allows us to experience first-hand of the strenuous amount of work needed in these jobs and some of the permanent and heart-breaking consequences that come with negative risk-taking behaviour and the experience of trauma. Coming out from that experience, it changed all of our perspectives and I am sure it has educated the group to make positive decision choices in the future.   On behalf on the attending group, I would like to specially thank Ms Green and Mr Walker for taking the time in accompanying us in the P.A.R.T.Y Program.