During Period 2 on Tuesday the Year 9s got to see a wonderful performance by the SMASHED team. They taught us all about the dangers of underage drinking and the effects of it. The team acted out a scenario for us as well, so we got to see the situation and learn how to deal with it.
Smashed uses a live theatrical act as well as interactive workshops for students to engage in learning about the dangers of underage alcohol consumption. The theatrical act is the story of how three young people became involved with alcohol and the affect it has on their lives. Alcohol becomes part of their daily routine and we see their mindset for making that decision and see the power of peer pressure, especially on social media. It concludes with an accident which affects the direction of each of the characters’ lives. We are shown the outcomes of how alcohol affects their lives. Alcohol misuse is a serious problem and this performance conveys the message really well.
The interactive workshops allowed us to get involved with the situation and develop different strategies to help cope with peer pressure and decision making. We got the chance to discuss how we would act in that situation and also got to see how others would act. Different people have different thoughts, so it was great to hear things that we didn’t necessarily think of. The workshop taught us a variety of things that we will take into account in our future.
The SMASHED performance and workshop was a great way for us to learn about the affects of underage drinking. It doesn’t simply tell us “don’t drink underage”, it puts us in that position so we can learn to make the right decisions as we become young adults. It was an entertaining yet informing time and we hope to see them back again next year.
Jennifer Zeng
