Alcohol and other drug use are among the leading causes of poor health, injury, and death among young people. Despite strength and resilience, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are disproportionately affected by alcohol-related harm that can be linked to historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation and disempowerment. Strengths-based and skills-focused prevention programs delivered in schools are effective strategies for reducing the uptake and harms associated with alcohol and drug use. However, to be effective, inclusive, and culturally safe, prevention programs must be adapted for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to reflect the unique contexts that influence alcohol and drug use among youth.
Strong & Deadly Futures is a culturally inclusive, digital school-based program that has been co-designed in partnership with First Nations artists and educators, with input from 23 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. The program empowers high school students by providing strengths-based alcohol and drug education tailored to culturally and geographically diverse classrooms. The program fills a critical gap in school-based prevention efforts. It is currently being evaluated in a randomised controlled trial in 22 high schools in NSW, Queensland, and Western Australia, with over 1000 teenagers over a 24-month follow-up period.
This presentation will discuss the evidence on individual and societal risk and protective factors among Aboriginal youth, highlight the prevention strategies that are proven to be effective, and outline the co-development process and trial of Strong & Deadly Futures.