Objective

To delay young people’s first use of alcohol by providing information about the effects of alcohol, offering tools to withstand peer pressure, and organising alcohol-free events and activities.

To educate Swedish adolescents regarding the possibility to party and enjoy themselves without alcohol.

Description

The Absolut Company is a long-time supporter of Fryshuset, a Swedish non-profit organisation promoting empowerment and social inclusion of youth through their schools and after-school activities.

Recent studies and research show that delaying young people’s first use of alcohol is critical for responsible drinking habits later in life.  Fryshuset, supported by The Absolut Company, strives to attract young people to their activities, so they don’t spend time in places where they are at risk of exposure to alcohol.  The project targets people between the ages of 13 and 19 and is run by Fryshuset in collaboration with local boxing or martial arts clubs.  

In two-hour group sessions held in four different Swedish cities, participants practice martial arts and engage in dialogue.  Another workstream is to organise the events in a way that shows that alcohol is not necessary for having a good time.  To support this, alcohol-free parties are organised in clubs, with various themes, performances, and workshops.

Frysbox has upheld its operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the recommendations from Swedish authorities that young people should be able to continue to participate in physical activity.

Partners

Fryshuset (Youth Activity Centre)

Results

This project started in 2014, and since then several thousand young people from Malmö, Stockholm and Karlstad have attended the events at Fryshuset.  

From June 2020 to May 2021, around 400 adolescents participated in this program through 152 sessions, school holiday activities and at youth centres.

In 2018, more than 5,000 Swedish young people aged 14 to 18 participated in alcohol free clubs and events arranged by Fryshuset in cooperation with The Absolut Company.  As of 2018, Fryshuset in cooperation with The Absolut Company had arranged 14 events over the last few years.

Measurement & evaluation

Since its creation, the programme has been continuously evaluated by programme partners, with several verification methods, including: observation, casual and structured conversation, attendance, participation in sessions, and pre-and post-semester evaluations.  They have also conducted in-depth interviews with previous participants after their time in Frysbox.

The majority of people joining Frysbox increased their physical activity, feel stronger physically and mentally, feel more motivated both to train, to socialise with others, and sometimes also to attend school.  Also, many of them have delayed drinking alcohol as a result.  It has also helped them to find healthier habits since it is difficult to combine intensive exercise with smoking and drinking alcohol.  Above all, it has been noticed that many of the young people who participated in the project have improved their self-esteem.   

In the end of semester evaluations, the participants are also asked if they have made any changes in their lifestyle since they started with Frysbox.  Answers from the survey of spring 2021 include:

• “I feel better and I am happier.”
• “I eat better and sleep better.”
• “I’ve started to train more outside of Frysbox as well. I’ve also tried to eat healthier and not eat so many sweets, which makes one feel better.  I also feel like the training inspires me to do other things as well, like study in school and take care of my grades.”

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