Teens to learn about alcohol abuse with the help of ‘Smashed’
Theatre focussing on the realities of alcohol misuse is to be performed in front of thousands at schools across West Yorkshire.
Pupils at a total of 19 secondary schools in the region will engage in ‘Smashed’, a theatre and education programme sponsored by Diageo Great Britain and delivered by Collingwood Learning.
The performance tells the story of a group of friends whose alcohol misuse ends in tragedy.
It is followed by an interactive workshop in which pupils are encouraged to question the decisions of characters, explore their motivations and the consequences of their actions, and then change the outcome of their story.
‘Smashed’ was co-developed by young people to help pupils understand the facts, causes, and consequences surrounding alcohol misuse and the risks of underage drinking.
Chris Simes from Collingwood Learning said: “The ‘Smashed’ performance portrays the risks of alcohol misuse and the interactive workshop captures the pupils’ attention and can genuinely help to transform their knowledge, behaviour and attitudes by really getting under the skin of the issues.”
Mark Baird, Head of Alcohol and Society at Diageo Great Britain, added: “We believe that young people need to be educated to make informed decisions about alcohol consumption.
“While we are encouraged to see that national statistics are showing a significant decline in alcohol consumption amongst young people, we know from Drinkaware research that most teenagers have their first taste of alcohol around the age of 13. There is still work to be done, which is why we are proud to be sponsoring ‘Smashed’ for the 11th year.”
