Shepparton students come face-to-face with devastating effects of trauma

Trauma is responsible for 40 per cent of deaths in the 15-25 year-old age group and many more young adults sustain permanent disabilities or are severely hurt in a major trauma.

To combat this alarming statistic, a team of trauma experts from The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, Goulburn Valley Health, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria will deliver an eye-opening awareness program for students next Monday and Tuesday, July 18 and 19.

Around 250 senior students from eight local schools will participate in the P.A.R.T.Y. (Preventing Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth) Program, which is designed to teach teenagers how risky choices can lead to serious consequences such as traumatic injury or even death.

The program has been presented at The Alfred since 2009 and due to the overwhelmingly positive response from teachers and students, organisers have extended the program to regional areas, including Shepparton.  

P.A.R.T.Y. Program Senior Coordinator Janet McLeod said expanding and tailoring an already successful in-hospital program to meet the needs of regional Victorians could help reduce the over-representation of youth in trauma.

“We believe that delivering the P.A.R.T.Y. program to regional centres like Shepparton - coupled with the right education – will help to reduce the number of major trauma incidents in the local area, especially preventable trauma resulting from drug use, alcohol, reckless driving or assaults,” Janet said.

“We believe that educating young people about the possible traumatic consequences of poor social choices and providing them with resources to make more informed decisions can have an impact on their perception of risk-related behaviour in the future.”

About The Alfred’s P.A.R.T.Y. Program

P.A.R.T.Y. is an education program developed in Canada over 30 years ago that aims to reduce risk-related death and disability in senior school students. It is now run in over 100 trauma centres around the world.

The Alfred’s P.A.R.T.Y. Outreach Program aims to reduce risk-related death and disability in senior school students, by showing them first-hand the potential consequences of their actions. Groups of 30 senior secondary students visit The Alfred and tour the hospital’s emergency and trauma facilities. "Trauma” includes blunt injury caused by physical force such as a motor vehicle accident, falls and assaults.

The program, developed at The Alfred, is delivered free of charge to schools, supported by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.