Penola High School will host a Planet Youth Penola Consortium, focussed on the health and wellbeing of the region’s younger residents.

The session, coordinated by Substance Misuse Limestone Coast, is open to community members and groups invested in young people’s health, relationships, environment and wellbeing, especially around drug and alcohol abuse.

Penola High School Principal Lesley Okholm said by the time children arrived at school they had already witnessed or been involved with underage alcohol or drug use.

“In our school it is a commonplace discussion point of our students, and probably is so in most secondary schools.

“We have ‘Climate Schools’ as a great resource to educate our students across all year levels and is part of our Learning for Life program,” she said.

“Planet Youth research across the world has shown we can impact by directly targeting the risk and protective factors in young people’s lives that determine their substance use behaviours and enhancing the social environment they are growing up in.

“By reducing the known risk factors and strengthening the known protective factors the problems associated with adolescent substance use can be reduced or stopped before they arise.

“The Planet Youth model offers the opportunity to improve the long-term health and life outcomes for young people and goes far beyond simply reducing their substance use rates.”

Ms Okholm said the meeting would pull together stakeholders invested our youth across local communities.

“It is to identify the issues and then to work strategically long term in the area to improve,” she said.

“This we anticipate, will ultimately begin to change the lives of Penola High School students.

“We have invited all sporting associations, health, council, SAPOL, schools, wellbeing groups, education leaders …. you name it, because this is a shared problem, not PHS problem.

“We can put bandaids on forever and a day and we will continue to educate and support our students, however Penola and district community are at a point where need to take a proactive stance to support and strengthen our community and how we address this issue here.”

The event will start at 5.10pm in the Penola High School hall on October 26.