Eight CQUniversity students* representing the Choices theatre program recently travelled to Melbourne to present their work at the 6th International Conference on Drugs and Young People, at the Melbourne Convention Centre...

Accompanied by Central Queensland Conservatorium of Music senior lecturer Judith Brown and representatives of stakeholder groups, the Mackay-based students who participated in Choices are enrolled in both the Drama and Music Theatre specialisations within the Bachelor of Theatre degree.

Choices program reps at the Melbourne conference

The Choices drama program is a cross-agency initiative led by the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Service (ATODS) with Queensland Health in Mackay. The applied theatre project incorporates a script written, directed and performed by music theatre students, in consultation with the Choices Committee (which has representatives and input from ATODS, Police, Sexual Health, the Conservatorium, the Whitsunday Schoolies Advisory Committee and the departments of Transport, Communities, Education and Ambulance.

The performance is taken 'on the road' for two weeks each year for presentation to over 3000 Year 12 students (at 12 schools in the Mackay District and 14 schools in the Townsville district).

Research on the Choices program has been conducted in partnership with the Centre for Youth Substance Abuse (CYSAR) at the University of Queensland.

"The findings indicated that students who saw Choices in Year 12 prior to going to Schoolies at Airlie Beach were 50% less likely to engage in risky behaviour than students who had not seen Choices," Ms Brown said.

"The partnership with CYSAR will continue in 2011 after positive discussions with them at the Conference in Melbourne.

"The conference presentation was well received by those who were present including high ranking police officers involved with crime prevention in Queensland.

"Choices will be presented in 2011 again in schools from Sarina to Bowen, Moranbah, Dysart and Clermont. We are currently seeking funding to also take the program once more to Townsville, Ingham, Charters Towers and Ayr."

The Choices project featured during CQUniversity's inaugural Opal Awards at the end of last year, winning the Engaged Learning and Teaching Award for Excellence in Engagement and receiving a $2500 grant to attend the conference.

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* Students involved in the Melbourne presentation were Stephanie McKenna, Hannah Barn, Jessica Andrews, Samantha Ogle, Glen Marshall, Ahley Ellul, Myles Hornstra and Pheobe Thompson-Star.

Other conference participants were:

• Christine Low (Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Service, Qld Health, Mackay)
• Sgt Nigel Dalton (Qld Police Service, Crime Prevention Unit, Mackay)
• Judith Brown (CQUniversity, Mackay)