• Drug education in schools

Helping students make well-informed choices with drug education

Methcon partners with intermediate and secondary schools nationwide to raise awareness about substance use and addiction. Since 2007, we have collaborated with schools across the country as well as organisations such as New Zealand Police, Life Education and the Ministry of Social Development to deliver impactful drug education for Year 7-13 students. Our programmes provide accurate information about the risks and effects of various substances and encourage students to make healthier choices.

Be proactive in tackling drug and alcohol awareness

If you’re interested in bringing Methcon’s drug education programmes to your school, please contact us for more information. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of your students and the wider community.

Contact Dale

Testimonials

Dale’s presentations are informative, professional and we have found his open and informal manner works with the many different communities we have within our vast region. Dale’s presentations are honest, relatable to all, real, and are delivered with a touch of humour which keeps his audience engaged no matter the age. He provides his audience with an education on the reality of drugs and the effect that it has not only on the user, but the wider community.

Dale’s presentation was very informative, eye opening and engaging. We have had positive feedback from students, staff and whanau how attended and the students really understood the key messages we were highlighting. The knowledge he shared was very helpful to many in our school community about understanding the issue and its wide reaching implications. Dale was dynamic to our school needs, creating a presentation on a range of drugs; alcohol, cannabis and Methamphetamine to match our learning objectives for students.

Our students needed to hear this message. When I got back to class we had a chat about how they found it, what they learned. Every student without exception picked up new information and many said it was great to get the information from someone like yourself. In their words ” very experienced in drugs.”

The inclusion of the vaping content hit the mark. I was sitting next to a child who is known to have been vaping and I made a point of asking her afterwards too. She said “I wish everyone could hear that, I don’t think I will ever drink.”

PreviousNext

Methcon’s Drug Education Programmes

Intermediate Schools

For intermediate students, we offer a specialised programme that is focused on alcohol, cannabis and vaping. This programme is age-appropriate and designed to be engaging, helping younger students understand the risks and develop healthy habits early on.

Secondary Schools

Our secondary school program consists of two separate topics:

  • Methamphetamine
  • Cannabis, Alcohol, MDMA and Vaping

The way our drug education programme is delivered can be flexible, as logistical arrangements can vary from school to school. Each session usually lasts for a school period with a short break in between, but the trainer will accommodate to suit the school’s needs.

At small schools, the school is usually separated into junior (years 9– 10) and senior (years 11 – 13) groups, and all topics are covered during the day (i.e. two sessions for each group).

For larger schools, we recommend five individual sessions during the day (one for each year group). The topics can be alternated on an annual basis (i.e. methamphetamine this year, cannabis, alcohol, MDMA and vaping next year).

Community Engagement

Involving the wider community in our education is important for its success. As part of our drug education programmes in schools, we encourage the schools we work with to arrange an evening presentation where parents and members of the local community are welcomed to also learn about substance abuse and its impact.

We also provide an opportunity for a free community presentation in the evening or afternoon, depending on preference. We have utilised both school halls and large community theatres for these events, which are advertised in advance. The feedback from attendees has been positive without exception.

Charitable Funding

To ensure that our programmes are accessible to all New Zealand schools, we actively link with charitable funding providers. This allows us to deliver our educational sessions at no cost to the schools, making it easier for institutions to benefit from our services. If you are involved in a charitable organisation that wishes to become involved in our drug education in schools, please contact Dale Kirk today.

Contact Dale