A past favourite program for students and first responders is back this month

The P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth) Program isn’t the type of party kids might be used to or think about attending as they grow up, but once they do, it’s something they won’t soon forget. The one-day awareness and prevention program for youth fifteen and up is held in communities across Canada, the U.S.A., and worldwide.

The program’s point is to encourage youth to make intelligent choices by learning about what can happen when they make the wrong ones. The last time the P.A.R.T.Y. Program occurred in Whitecourt was in 2019. After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, organizers are back with a new name and much life-saving information for kids.

Under the P.A.R.T.Y. platform, organizers had to stick to specific topics, but this year, Alberta Health Services wanted to have the freedom to add in other aspects. “We call it R.I.S.K., which is Reflect on the Impact, your Success, and what you Know,” explained Tina Prodaniuk, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Town of Whitecourt and R.C.M.P. Clerk.

Through the day-long event, grade nine students will learn things while seeing and hearing some pretty intense stuff. The most significant part of that is the crash scene. It shows students a crash scene with crisis actors and first responders reacting to it as they would in real life. They will also hear a real 9-1-1 call involving an accident with teenagers behind the wheel where not all passengers survived. They will then witness a Next of Kin reveal where police and Victims Services tell parents that their child has died.

New this year, the program will be talking about healthy relationships with Wellspring Family Resource and Crisis Centre and talking to the ambulance personnel during a break-out session. Prodaniuk said they are also adding more meaningful angles that tie in the realities of living in a small town. “We live in a small area, and we would have an impact if there were a collision of teens and in the community. There would be a ripple effect. It’s not just the officer telling your parents that you’ve died, but it’s the ripple that happens across a community where everyone knows everybody. Also, the golden hour of opportunity that we don’t have in rural areas to get to a surgical theatre. Just by living here, we are at a disadvantage.”

Students hear from survivors and emergency personnel about what it is like to live with a poor choice or deal with the aftermath. “We are trying to tell kids that we need to be mindful of our choices. We all take risks every day. Walking across the street is a risk. All these things that you do daily are risks, but we have things in place to reduce the risks. If you’re going to walk across the street, you look both ways, and those kinds of simple things are in place for a reason,” explained Prodaniuk.

“These are children that are just getting their learners, and that’s why we pick grade nines because we want to just make sure they understand what responsibility they have on the road and what can happen if they make a poor choice.” With having missed the last two years of the program, the current grade ten and eleven students haven’t had the chance to take part. Prodaniuk said that maybe they could offer something for those grades next school year. “Maybe if COVID stays away, we will have the opportunity to come and do those grades, but it won’t happen this school year.”

Prodaniuk said that though scare tactics don’t typically work, they show reality, which does work. “This is a call that has happened. We are not making it up. It is an accident involving fifteen and sixteen-year-old kids. Sometimes, showing them what poor choices look like may encourage them to make better decisions.” She said that students who have taken part in it before had felt its impact. “They all like to see the ambulance, police cars and fire trucks, but when they see them in action, working and doing the job they are supposed to do, it changes that excitement a bit into more of a wow reaction. Their respect for the emergency services following this is quite amazing.”

Prodaniuk said that there are certain impressionable ages where information can be more impactful, so they choose grade nines specifically. “We are excited to get back into this because it means something to the first responders. If you talk to anyone, fire, ambulance, police, who has been a presenter with this program before, it means something, and the day means something to them. It’s nice to be back.”

Though grade nine students are not of age to drink, the impaired driving aspect is still important to talk about now. “Unfortunately, that (underage drinking) does happen. This program is about making sure you make good decisions because, peer pressure, and everything else aside, it’s your life.” Another part of the day is a Contract for Life that students sign with peers to start conversations. “It’s about having a plan before something goes south and being mindful of your choices.”

The R.I.S.K Program is planned for April 27 and involves around 200 grade nine students from the area.