Highland is piloting the Planet Youth model, in partnership with Winning Scotland. Highland are one local authority area included in the Scottish pilot, and currently there are five Highland secondary schools involved: Thurso High School, Wick High School, Golspie High School, Dornoch Academy, and Tain Royal Academy.
The Planet Youth, Icelandic Prevention Model, originated in Iceland. In the 1990s, Iceland had the highest rates of teen smoking, alcohol and drug use across Europe. Now they have the lowest.
To address the situation, they looked at the risk and protective factors for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in young people, across four areas of young peoples’ lives: family, peers, school and leisure time. They used local, anonymous, survey information from young people to increase protective factors, and reduce risk factors.
This evidence-based, international programme, has now been adopted in many other countries around the world.
There are other benefits associated with this approach, including that it can improve the mental and physical wellbeing of young people.
The programme will aim to:
- increase opportunities for young people, this will include many different activities such as sport, music, art, dance and others.
- work with communities, including parental involvement, to ensure local ownership and a proactive approach to address local issues.
- apply evidence based practice, implementing interventions based on data from local communities, which will be collected from an anonymous school survey.
For more information please see the following resources for Parents and Carers:
Parental Pledge – 10 goals for you and other parents to aim for which will keep young people healthily & safe
Parents / Carers information letter for young people involved in the survey
This short video gives an overview of the model:
Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs: A Parent’s Guide. Practical advice to help you communicate with your child about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Find out more about Planet Youth in your area of Highland, including information about local groups and activities, by connecting through our Facebook page: Planet Youth in Highland | Facebook