Tūturu Whānau Hui

The whānau of six Tūturu schools in Otago attended “What you need to know about alcohol and other drugs for whānau and caregivers”. Presented by Kim Gotlieb – Tūturu Project Lead, Mirror HQ, the evening was focused on providing parents and caregivers with data and information about alcohol and other drug use and young people.

The evening focused on a harm minimisation approach to alcohol and other drugs, moving away from the “War on Drugs” mentality that has been prominent in Aoteraoa until recently.

Data was presented on alcohol and other drug use amongst young people which clearly indicates that alcohol is the drug that causes the most harm in Aotearoa.

This was followed by a question and answer session with a panel of: Seargent Steve Jones - Alcohol Harm Prevention, Dunedin Police, Scott Turnbull – Alcohol and Other Drug and Co-existing Problems Clinician, Mirror HQ and Kim Gotlieb.

The questions were diverse and interesting, providing parents and caregivers answers from the varying perspectives of the expert panel.

The evening was a great opportunity to have access to evidence and expertise, and also to have discussion with each other as parents and caregivers.

“We really value the opportunity to expand our Tūturu mahi to include whānau, and intend on making these evenings a regular part of our Tūturu schedule. We know that Tūturu is having an impact in schools, now we also want to provide our communities with the information, resources and tools to best support them in what can be a difficult area with our young people.” said Kim.