It’s Never too Late to Save a Mate
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It’s never too late to learn how to save a mate, and thanks to a recent Save-A-Mate (SAM) facilitator training program, four local community members have now been trained on how to identify and respond to emergencies.
The SAM Program, which is endorsed by Australian Red Cross, has been running for nearly 20 years and educates approximately 10,000 young people a year on how to look after their mates by responding to emergencies that may result from alcohol and other drug use.
The workshop, which was funded by the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) and delivered in collaboration with the Bellingen Community Drug Action Team (CDAT), covered content including drug classification, drugs and the central nervous system, risk factors for overdose, signs and symptom of an overdose, responding to an overdose and harm reduction strategies.
Bellingen Shire CDAT members Kim West, Mon Buggy, Eliza Zanuso and Myols Suffolk were amongst eight Mid-North-Coast young people to undertake the training, which was coordinated by Bellingen Shire Council’s Community Wellbeing Planning Officer, Anna Joy, and delivered Jarrah Dundler from the Australian Red Cross.
Bellingen Shire Council Mayor, Cr Dominic King said Bellingen’s CDAT members had undertaken a variety of planning, implementation and evaluation activities in efforts to proactively reduce the risk of harm caused by alcohol and other drugs in our community.
“Our Shire’s CDAT have also written to local high schools to let them know that we now have trained Save-A-Mate facilitators that can deliver this potentially life-saving program to young people in or community.”
“I encourage everybody to take advantage of this valuable opportunity to teach our young people how to identify risk-taking behaviours and develop emergency response strategies so they know how to look after themselves and their mates,” Cr King said.
For more information on the Save-A-Mate Program or other Bellingen CDAT activities, please contact Bellingen Shire Council’s Community Wellbeing Planning Officer, Anna Joy on 66557300.