Let's talk about alcohol

Objective

On a short-term basis:

To initiate the dialogue about alcohol with teenagers at the age when the first alcohol intake starts (12- 15 years)
To train teachers how to talk about alcohol
To support Bulgarian schools in being more proactive in their prevention roles
To increase knowledge about the problem among parents, schools and institutions

On a longer-term basis

To delay the age of onset
To increase the understanding of harms related to alcohol abuse
To increase the understanding of responsible drinking behaviour
To reduce incidences of drunkenness and binge drinking among the target group
To create a long-term platform to work on its own

Description

sspiritsBULGARIA decided to start the programme as research data published in recent years shows that underage drinking is a problem. Many start to drink as young as 11 in Bulgaria. In addition, the prevalence of lifetime use of alcohol is very high when compared to other European countries, although these numbers are in decline. Also, institutions are unable to organise prevention programmes themselves due to various factors.

The programme is a natural extension of Parental Meetings: Small Talks on BIG Themes. It complements spiritsBULGARIA’s efforts to prevent early alcohol consumption among minors, because it will open the dialogue between teachers and pupils in schools.

spiritsBULGARIA will supply schools with the necessary methodology/materials and leave the execution in the hands of the teachers.

Using teachers to transmit the messages, the educational programme is targeted at 12-15-year-old pupils in schools. This is the age when studies show that teens often begin to drink alcohol and are at their most susceptible to peer pressure. The programme is related to the school year, which for the secondary grades (12-14 years) starts on 15 September and ends on 15 June.

The aim is to raise knowledge and awareness of early alcohol intake risks and delay as much as possible the age of onset by:

Giving tips how to stand up peer pressure
Discussing alternatives for a teenage life without alcohol and living healthily.
Providing alternatives for free time without alcohol

The programme will consist of:

Modules in the “Hour of the Teacher”;
Workshops for teachers to train them to lead the dialogue and become programme ambassadors;
Lessons for pupils;
Support materials translated and adapted from the Swedish Teach about Alcohol for use in Bulgaria and
A special module for secondary school teachers posted on the “Parental Meetings” website.

The pilot phase was planned to start in January 2020 with post-programme feedback and analysis shaping further programme executions. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this phase has been delayed.

Partners

Bulgarian Ministry of Education
Bulgarian Regional Education Inspectorates
“Parents” association
National Network for Child Protection
Pedagogical Faculty of Plodiv University
Regional health inspectorates on behalf of Bulgarian Ministry of Health
Ministry of internal affairs

Results

A committee of 2 spiritsBULGARIA's members, 1 psychologist, 2 specialists from the Pedagogical Faculty of Plovdiv University and an agency were chosen to execute and lead the project.

A qualification for teachers has been added to their bonus programme to provide an incentive for them to take part.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 further results, such as the selection of 4 schools for the pilot launch and the execution of teachers’ workshops have been delayed.

Measurement & evaluation

Evaluation will take place through monitoring of

Institutional feedback
Face-to-face interviews with committee, institutions, school authorities
Paper questionnaires after the teachers’ seminars
Paper questionnaires for pupils after “Let’s talk about alcohol” lessons

Website

http://predi18.org/