Choices for Life - organised by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA)

Read all about it on:  http://hebridestoday.com/2011/05/western-isles-pupils-make-choices-for-life/

EXTRACT:

Hundreds of primary school pupils from across the Western Isles gathered at the Lewis Sports Centre in Stornoway today (Monday 9 May) for Choices for Life 2011.


Choices for Life, which is organised by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and supported by Northern Constabulary, is designed to provide young people with information and advice on substance misuse.

Almost 800 Primary 6, Primary 7 and S1 pupils from schools across the Western Isles attended a Choices for Life event in Stornoway, where two events were held today. Events have already been held last week in Orkney and Shetland.

Choices for Life delivers an interactive programme of live music and drama and provides young people with guidance on how to resist peer pressure relating to tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs, and the benefits of making positive lifestyle choices.

Performers at this year’s events included singer and songwriter Carrie Mac, up and coming boy band GMD3 and London-based rap act, MC Enel. PACE Theatre Group delivered a drama sketch during the live event, and also delivered workshops in a number of primary schools afterwards to build on what pupils learned at the event.

The SCDEA works with police forces, as well as Learning & Teaching Scotland (LTS), NHS Health Scotland and Young Scot, to develop Choices for Life.

All content and material has been developed in line with Curriculum for Excellence. Deputy Chief Constable Gordon Meldrum, Director General, SCDEA attended one of the events held in Stornoway.

He said: “Choices for Life is an integral part of our interventions approach to tackling serious organised crime by reducing the demand for illegal drugs.

“The event provides a fun and interactive experience for young people, but it1s one that comes with very important messages around substance misuse. “Ensuring that young people are well informed about these issues is absolutely vital if we want to make a difference and prevent young people from getting involved with drugs. “We aim to do this through Choices for Life by delivering messages in a positive way, using performance and role models, which pupils can relate to.

The event also provides pupils with alternative lifestyle choices to substance misuse, preparing them for potentially difficult decisions that they might face in future when they make the move into secondary school.” Chief Constable George Graham said: “The main focus of Choices for Life is to provide youngsters with accurate information so that they can make informed choices for themselves about how they should lead their lives.

“It is an excellent vehicle with which to get a serious message across but in an entertaining way. Children are able to relate more easily to the content. “It’s vital youngsters have access to credible advice and information about the risks associated with issues such as substance misuse and peer pressure. We’re confident that the event has an important role to play in the education process. This is the first time I have attended a Choices for Life event and the content and delivery is extremely vibrant and entertaining, with a serious educational edge.”

Choices for Life is visiting Orkney, Shetland and Lewis only this year because these locations were not included in the 2010 series of events. However, primary schools across the whole of Scotland were still be able to participate in this year’s events through a live web stream on Glow, Scotland’s national intranet for schools, during this morning1s event held in Stornoway.

A recording of the event will also be available for schools to view on Glow later.