National youth work charity, UK Youth, welcomes the recent announcement by Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, that the department have released a “Youth Alcohol Action Plan”, in order to tackle the problem of alcohol misuse by young people.
The report focuses on ‘Supporting young people to make sensible decisions about alcohol.’ This echoes UK Youth’s approach to tackling excessive drinking by young people. UK Youth has already introduced successful programmes for young people to help tackle the problem. The Drink Aware Challenge, which was launched together with the Drink Aware Trust last year, seeks to develop and accredit alcohol awareness through the Youth Achievement Awards.
The Action Plan states that ‘For many people in Britain , drinking alcohol is an important part of life and culture.’ UK Youth acknowledges that throughout adolescence and adulthood, alcohol can play a big part in people’s lives. UK Youth, through its programmes, aims to provide for young people an awareness of the effects of alcohol in order to help young people to make sensible and well informed decisions.
UK Youth welcomes the Government’s recognition of the need to provide support for young people in order to tackle problems such as drinking at an early age and binge drinking amongst young people. The work that UK Youth does, through programmes such as the Drink Aware Challenge, helps young people develop a better understanding, awareness and attitude towards alcohol. This in turn enables young people to make the right decisions.”
John Bateman, Chief Executive, UK Youth
The report and previous findings claim that:
- By the age of 13 young people who drink outnumber those who don’t
- Increase in ‘drinking to get drunk’ – 35% of 11-15 year olds drink deliberately to get drunk
- 57% increase in alcohol-related deaths amongst young people aged 15–34
In terms of Alcohol Awareness, UK Youth’s programmes enable young people to consider issues that have been highlighted in the Government’s Alcohol Action Plan. Young people consider how:
- Alcohol issues not only affect their own lives but also the impact unacceptable behaviour can be have on the rest of the community.
- Improve their understanding of the risks involved in drinking.
- Develop an understanding of values and attitudes towards alcohol to ensure that alcohol does not have a negative effect on their welfare.
The Government has recognised the extent of the problem. UK Youth can help deliver on the aims of the Action Plan through successful programmes such as the Drink Aware Challenge.
