TEACHERS and organisers say they are confident the message to avoid ice has sunk in after a series of forums gave 1600 teenagers a stark account of the drug’s consequences.
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After completing the final two forums yesterday, Rotary Club of Orange Calare president Paul Cox said the program was a little left field, but the club wanted to take preventative measures.
“It is in our town already now, so we thought we would take a proactive approach and educate our kids to say, we don’t want any part of that drug,” he said.
“We have a responsibility to the community where we actually raise funds from to give something back, so by doing this, we are hopefully giving back to the community in a way that the community are happy with.”
Students from Canobolas Rural Technology and Blayney high schools, Kinross Wolaroi School and Orange Anglican Grammar School completed the program yesterday, which featured accounts from police, paramedics and former addict Jackson Oppy.
VIDEO: Teachers' and students' reactions to the forum:
Kinross principal Brian Kennelly said he found the presentation timely and necessary.
“I would say when you’ve got live addicts on stage who’ve been reformed, it’s a very powerful message,” he said.
“Given it’s the opportunity for kids to really hear the impact of it, I thought there was no alternative but to be involved.”
Blayney deputy principal John Browett said he thought the message sunk in.
“We’ve had a quiet word to a few of them and I think they’re very shocked by the firsthand account of a user, but also the [paramedic], who sees the horrendous stuff he has to see on a daily basis,” he said.
“We know for a fact that it’s a big problem in Orange and Bathurst, so I think we would be very naive to think it’s not going to be available in Blayney, if it’s not already, and our kids need to know the dangers.”
However, the effort will not end with the forums.
Mr Cox said they had been filmed with the hope of making them into a DVD, which could be more widely distributed to community groups and other schools.