Drug Education Network Inc.
2023-2024 Annual Report
Contents
Acknowledgement of Country
The Drug Education Network acknowledges the strength, resilience and capacity of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people and their deep and lasting cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship as ongoing custodians of the skies, land and waters of lutruwita / Tasmania.
We recognise that our organisation operates on the land of the traditional custodians and we pay our respect to Elders past and present.
DEN is proud to work with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to prevent the harms caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Acknowledgement of Lived Experience
The Drug Education Network recognises the value of Tasmanians with lived and living experience of alcohol and other drug use.
We acknowledge their courage, determination and capacity for growth and transformation. Their stories inspire others and give a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding substance use.
We understand that awareness is a crucial first step in fighting the stigma faced by people who use alcohol and other drugs, and it is their experiences that help us to educate others and promote a more informed and empathic community perspective.
We know that through listening to lived and living experience voices we grow as a community. Through working together we can minimise the harms caused by alcohol and other drug use and ensure Tasmania is a safe and supportive place for people looking for help, when they need it.
We acknowledge and honour these individuals and their courage and determination.
Executive Summary
In 2023-2024, DEN has continued to provide more Tasmanians with the information they need to make informed choices about alcohol and other drugs. From an increase in the number of students attending our school drug education sessions, to increases in the number of people accessing our workplace training and education workshops, DEN’s reach into the Tasmanian community is getting greater every year.
DEN’s impact is undoubtedly felt by those who access our services, with feedback indicating immediate increases to knowledge and understanding as well as longer-term plans to change work practices as a result of the new knowledge. Students tell us our sessions are informative and engaging, and that they will take what they have learned not only for their own understanding, but also when supporting their peers.
It doesn’t matter where you are in Tasmania, you can access DEN’s services, with 11 of the 30 schools receiving DEN’s drug education program in 2023-24 being in the North of the State, and our Community Online Drug Education website being accessible wherever there is an internet connection.
You can even access DEN services in custody, with a new psychoeducational alcohol and other drug program launched in the Southern Remand Centre this year. After a successful pilot, DEN is now delivering this four-session program on a rolling basis across the two accommodation units of the Southern Remand Centre. We also continue to provide sessions for both staff and young people at the Ashley Youth Detention Centre.
We are committed to providing up-to-date, evidence-based information and resources for the Tasmanian community, and we’re proud to report on our activities for 2023-2024.
About DEN
The Drug Education Network (DEN) is a not-for-profit health promotion organisation. We provide school education, workforce training, resources and information to help keep Tasmanians safe from harms caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Our Health Promotion Approach
The Drug Education Network (DEN) strategically undertakes specific activities to prevent and reduce harm from drugs.
We support the Tasmanian community by providing state-wide access to evidence-based, age-appropriate information, education, resources, and training.
We help individuals to better understand and prevent alcohol and other drug-related harm within their own lives, and across their broader communities from as young as grade 5.
We equip Tasmanian workers with the tools and training they need to keep themselves and their clients safe.
We inform policy makers through best-practice information, encouraging stigma reduction through appropriate health-focused, evidence-based advice.
We offer information and resources that are suited to the health literacy needs of their intended audiences.
Our health promotion approach considers prevention across the spectrum, from primary prevention of substance use right through to, and including the prevention of harm and the prevention of stigma and discrimination for people who use substances.
We hope that this year’s annual report will clearly demonstrate our achievements, and evidence our commitment to primary prevention, early intervention and harm reduction in the alcohol and other drug health promotion space throughout Tasmania.
Chair Report
2023/2024 saw us enter our final year of our 2019-2024 strategic plan and with no exception from our previous plan’s years, saw further success and achievement by the organisation. Particularly highlighted activities include:
- DEN’s Community Online Drug Education (CODE) was rebranded during this period and responded to with increased online global access.
- DEN partnered with the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and assessed the impact of engaging a peer workforce in the alcohol and other drug treatment settings in Tasmania, resulting in a published journal article demonstrating the impact.
- The position of DEN within the sector and contribution to the development of the Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention (PPEI) space has seen DEN identified as one of the lead agencies for PPEI in the ATOD sector component of the initiative.
- DEN has reached and engaged with more young people through our DEN Training and Education within school drug education services and increased workforce and community sessions provided across Tasmania.
These highlights demonstrate more broadly the ongoing work and achievements of DEN and the team and on behalf of the Board we thank and acknowledge the team for their contributions to all projects, programs and achievements throughout the year.
We’d like to acknowledge and welcome new staff who have joined the DEN team during this reporting period and Thank and Farewell those who have departed. I’d like to particularly acknowledge Maria who provided significant contribution across 11 years of dedicated service to DEN. I’d like to thank all the DEN team for their ongoing passion, dedication, commitment and drive in supporting our vision of communities free from the harms of drugs.
Additionally, I’d like to acknowledge the DEN Board and my colleagues for their ongoing dedication to the organisation, and Welcome and Farewell directors who have engaged with us during this period.
Thank you to our partners, funders, and broader community for engaging and supporting our DEN vision and mission, by providing space for DEN within your schools, workplaces and communities.
A direct acknowledgement to Emily for her leadership, direction and drive throughout the previous 12 months. We are excited for embarking on our next chapter, including the commencement of a new strategic plan.
CEO Report
As I reflect on my first full year at DEN, the first thing that comes to mind is how settled and at home I am and how far off any career I had before DEN feels. This speaks to how welcoming the team and Board were from day one, but also how much we have packed in, in just one year.
While we have been focused on ‘getting back to basics’ with DEN’s core service offerings, after significant energy was put into large scale projects in the years prior, this does not mean we have reduced our impact, in fact it’s been quite the opposite.
2023-2024 has been a year of growth for DEN, both internally and externally. I have watched the team grow into a new way of doing business, and really start to embrace the structure and systems that provide the foundation for continued growth.
With a move away from bespoke training sessions to standardised training packages, we are now able to promote exactly what services are available, as well as who we are and what we do. This clear and structured approach has resulted in continued and significant growth in the delivery of our workplace training and education workshops.
With our current staffing levels, we didn’t think we could pack much more into our school drug education program, after it grew so significantly in 2022-23, but somehow we have, with increases in the number of student sessions as well as increases in the resources distributed in schools. We added an additional school drug educator to the team very late in 2023-24, which means our capacity to deliver age-appropriate, evidence-based drug education in schools just got even greater… so watch this space!
With a focus on prevention across the spectrum, this gives us a really broad scope for providing access to information and resources for anyone and everyone. Whether you’re wanting to learn more about alcohol and other drugs for the first time, whether you want more information because you or someone close to you is experiencing difficulties around alcohol and other drugs, or whether you are using substances and you want to know how to do so in the least harmful way possible we are the place for you. Our Community Online Drug Education (CODE) platform got a bit of a facelift this year, so finding the information you need just got even easier.
Our Educator team shrank a little this year, with Maria leaving DEN after 11 years. Maria’s contributions were significant over that time. There is no doubt she left on a high after delivering the Peer Workforce Pilot Project, but her impact for the community service sector stretches far beyond this, with the development of resources to support mothers around alcohol and cannabis use during pregnancy, leading community projects in partnership with the Alcohol and Drug Foundation as the coordinator of DEN’s Local Drug Action Teams, school drug education delivery, brief intervention training delivery and alcohol and other drug workshops just to name a few. Everyone who has worked at DEN over the past 11 years has been positively impacted in some way having had the opportunity to work alongside Maria.
In a team as small as ours, nothing gets done in isolation, and our achievements are always a team effort, with everyone contributing in some way to everything we do. I feel so lucky to be leading such a passionate and dedicated team, and I want to thank each of them for their contributions to our success in 2023-2024.
A huge thank you to Anita, Deni, Zoe, Cathy, Michelle, Tasha, Rob, Dave, Maria, Samantha, Jonathan and Anna for your endless support, commitment, humour and creativity in 2023-2024. Thank you also to the DEN Board of Governance, I can rely on you to lift me up, have my back, and bring new ideas that continue to see DEN go from strength to strength.
Impact Report
Our 2024 Financial Year Impact Report
School Communities
Workforce Training
Information and Resources for Community
This year, we uploaded:
resources
Resources
The top 3 most popular online resources were
The top 3 most popular hardcopy resources were
Communities with an Identified Need
We provide health promotion education and training to the Tasmanian community through targeted project work, strategic partnerships, on-request conference presentations, considered and responsive resource development, and by increasing access to trusted information about topics of interest through CODE.
Project Work
Southern Remand Centre
In 2023-2024, the Drug Education Network piloted a psychosocial education program at the Southern Remand Centre, Tasmania Prison Service. The focus of the pilot program was to provide harm minimisation, relapse prevention and coping skills education, designed exclusively for the Southern Remand Centre setting.
The pilot was delivered across three rounds of the full, four session program, to two separate groups in each round. With 56 participants attending at least one session of the program across the pilot period, we were able to gather enough data to show modest positive learning outcomes, with participants in the program, on average, leaving with more knowledge and skills than they had prior, and participants were more likely to rate the session as helpful than not helpful.
With positive outcomes from the pilot program, DEN has now partnered with the Tasmania Prison Service to deliver the program as a rolling, four-week program across the two accommodation units within the Southern Remand Centre.
Educational Videos
With the support of a Healthy Tasmania Step Forward Grant, we released 10 new videos on our YouTube channel in 2023-2024, including six Health Promotion Videos to increase awareness across a number of relevant topics for the community. Since release, these videos have been viewed a total of 1,084 times.
New health promotion videos:
- More Options for Managing Pain, on the topic of pain management alongside or without analgesic medications.
- Understanding Alcohol, an overview of why people might use alcohol, and the risks associated with it.
- Safe Partying for Tasmanian Teenagers, providing useful tips for young people to stay safe.
- Defining Stigma, explaining what stigma is and how it can look.
- The Impact of Stigma, discussing the impact stigma has on people’s lives and on the ability to seek help.
- Ageing and Alcohol, discussing the impact that ageing has on your body’s ability to process alcohol.
New service videos:
- Who is DEN?, a short video describing the organisation.
- DEN’s Workshops and Training Packages, explaining the offerings available for organisations, businesses, and groups in Tasmania.
- DEN’s Tools and Resources, explaining the various resources available to Tasmanians.
- Alcohol and Other Drug Education in Schools, describing DEN’s approach to drug education within the school environment.
Health Promotion Campaigns
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Campaign
Supported by the MyState Foundation and in collaborationwith NoFASD Australia, DEN launched the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Prevention and Awareness Handbook for Alcohol and Other Drug Professionals on September 20th 2023. The new handbook builds on the previous FASD Handbook for Health Professionals and provides updated information to support women to have healthy, alcohol-free pregnancies; and to support the screening and early intervention for people living with FASD.
The launch event was held at Parliament House and included talks from NoFASD Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Sophie Harrington, Community Paediatrician Dr. Anagha Jayaka and DEN Educator Maria Duggan, as well as a panel discussion about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Since the launch, we have distributed 72 copies of the handbook to professionals around the state.
Leadership and Consultation Work
We were really pleased to see the launch of the State Government’s Tasmanian Drug Strategy 2024-2029 in May this year, with its focus on ‘a Tasmania that is inclusive and safe for all people, without stigma and discrimination’.
We have continued to provide advice and consultation in the lead up to its launch and look forward to supporting the implementation of the strategy in 2024-2025. DEN is pleased to continue to support the development of a Tasmanian Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Action Plan, as a member of the Tasmanian FASD Advisory Group, established at the end of 2023 to replace the previous FASD State Coordination Group.
DEN continues to provide leadership in alcohol, tobacco and other drug Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention (PPEI) as a member of the Department of Health’s, PPEI Framework Expert Advisory Group, as well as providing input to the initial consultations for the PPEI Framework Project.
Partnering Organisations
We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to the following partnering organisations who have worked with us throughout this reporting period:
- NOFASD Australia
- The Mental Health Council of Tasmania
- The Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Council of Tasmania
- Tasmania Prison Service
- Sexual Assault Support Service
- The University of Tasmania
- The Department of Health through the Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Directorate and Healthy Tasmania
- Primary Health Tasmania
- The MyState Foundation
Without your help and support we would not have been able to provide the same quality or quantity of services throughout this financial year.
Resources and Information Dissemination
Resource Provision
In 2023-24, we distributed 6040 hard-copy resources to the Tasmanian community, and a further 499 digital downloads were provided through our websites.
Community Online Drug Education (CODE) turns 2!
We understand that not everybody feels comfortable walking into a service and asking for the information that they need to keep themselves or their loved ones safe.
While we work towards a future free from stigma and discrimination, we also seek to provide solutions that meet people where they are right now.
That’s why we launched CODE, which celebrated its second birthday in June 2024. With 50 new resources uploaded this year, CODE contains over 550 carefully curated factsheets, service listings, videos and more.
This year, CODE was visited 4069 times. (That's a lot of individuals with increased access to resources and information.)
CODE is safer than a Google search and provides a wide range of trustworthy factsheets, videos, podcasts, articles, and services to empower Tasmanians to make informed decisions about their own health and safety when it comes to alcohol and other drugs.
School Communities
We support school communities through classroom education sessions, professional development opportunities for school staff, and parent forums.
We work alongside school communities to provide age-appropriate education that supports the existing Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum. We aim to equip young people with the information they need to stay safe and make informed decisions about alcohol and other drugs, starting from grade 5, all the way through to tertiary and vocational level.
Between July 2023 and June 2024, we provided 143 education sessions to 3331 students across 30 schools and educated 87 staff members at 7 professional development sessions across those schools.
The breakdown of the schools we supported is as follows:
Primary School Sessions:
- 6 Government (6 in the North)
- 1 Catholic (1 in the South)
- 1 Independent (1 in the South)
High School Sessions:
- 15 Government (7 in the South, 6 in the North)
- 5 Independent (5 in the South)
College Sessions:
- 3 Government (2 in the South, 1 in the North)
- 1 Catholic (1 in the South)
- 1 Independent (1 in the South)
Other Schools:
- 1 in the North
By Region:
- 11 schools supported in the North
- 19 schools supported in the South
Primary Schools: Campbell Town District School, John Paul II Catholic School, St Michaels Collegiate, Hagley Farm School, Ravenwood Heights Primary School, St Leonards Primary School
High Schools: : Bayview Secondary College, Hobart City High School, Indie School Glenorchy, Indie School Kingston, Indie School Sorrell, Kings Meadows High School, Riverside High School, St Michaels Collegiate, The Hutchins School, Dominic College, St Virgil’s College Senior School, Deloraine High School, Fahan School, Montrose Bay High School, New Norfolk High School, Prospect High School, Scottsdale High School
Colleges: Hobart College, Rosny College, The Hutchins School, St Virgil’s College Senior School
District Schools: Campbell Town District School, Dover District School, St Helens District High School, St Marys District School
Other Schools: Ashley School
How did students find our sessions?
Students liked our sessions
74.0% of students reported that they liked something in their session
Students learned in our sessions
87.0% of students reported that they learned something in their session
Students learned where to find help
70.0% of students reported that they learned where to find help in their session
School Feedback
Feedback received from students across all grades within this reporting period:
From Grade 5 and 6 Students:
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
From Grade 7 and 8 Students:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
From Grade 9 and 10 Students:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
From Grade 11 and 12 Students:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
From School Staff:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
From University Students:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Workforce Training
The Drug Education Network’s workforce training sessions are designed to provide Tasmanian workplaces and their clients with the information, resources and skills needed to help reduce and prevent harm caused by alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Our workshops and training sessions are evidence-based and provide the information needed to make informed choices.
Between July 2023 and June 2024, we delivered 13 Brief Intervention Foundation sessions, 6 Brief Intervention Masterclass sessions, 13 Alcohol and Other Drug Workshops, 1 Responding to Challenging Behaviours session, 6 Drugs and the Workplace sessions, and 6 Transition to Practice sessions to 557 participants across Tasmanian workplaces.
We built people’s knowledge
96.0% of participants ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ with the statement ‘I have built on my knowledge of this topic’
We increased people's skills
94.6% of participants ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ that they intended to change their practices or behaviours around the topic
We changed people's awareness
94.6% of participants ‘Strongly Agreed’ or ‘Agreed’ that they have changed their awareness and knowledge about the topic’.
In this reporting period, we worked with the following organisations:
- Alcohol and Drug Services (ADS)
- Annie Kenney Young Women's Emergency Accommodation
- Ashley School
- Baptcare
- Centacare Evolve Housing
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
- Community Corrections
- Hobart College
- Kingborough Cricket Club
- Men's Resources Tasmania
- Phoenix Centre
- School Health Nurse Program
- Shelter Tasmania
- Tasmania Prison Service
- Tasmanian Department of Health
- TasRail
- TasTAFE
- University of Tasmania (UTAS)
- Workskills Tasmania
Workforce Training Feedback
Feedback from Brief Intervention Foundation sessions:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Feedback from Brief Intervention Masterclass sessions:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Feedback from Alcohol and Other Drug Workshops:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Feedback from Responding to Challenging Behaviours Workshops:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Feedback from Community Workshops:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Feedback from Drugs in the Workplace Workshops:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Change in Practice
If you have been a friend of DEN's for some time, you may have noticed a shift in the way we offer our services. We have moved from bespoke to standardised training offerings that respond to the key topic areas most requested by our training participants.
This doesn’t mean our trainings will be any less relevant for your service, with our skilled Educators delivering interactive workshops and training sessions that lean into the existing expertise within your teams to apply the learning in your unique context.
You can still access DEN’s high quality, evidence-based training programs, but the process of selecting which training is right for your team and locking in session dates just got a whole lot easier.
Integrating Lived Experience
If you attended one of our workshops or training sessions within the past year, you may have had the opportunity to hear from Samantha, DEN’s Lived Experience Speaker (LES).
Samantha has been enhancing our health promotion messages with her lived experiences for two years now, contributing to DEN’s service offerings both in the training room and behind the scenes, reviewing and contributing to DEN’s training materials and resources.
Voices of lived experience help us to challenge stereotypes and increase understanding of how alcohol and other drug-related issues can occur, who they can affect, and the impact of stigma and discrimination.
As you can see from the feedback below, there is no doubt Samantha has enriched participants’ learning with increased awareness and understanding.
From Participants in sessions with our Lived Experience Speaker:
Really powerful to have a peer worker share experiences.
[The] contribution from a peer perspective was so valuable! It really set the training apart.
Input from [the LES] was particularly useful in providing context and insight into aspects of addiction and change that I would not have considered.
[The] lived experience contributions were immensely invaluable and appreciated.
Inclusion of peer worker improves the learning experience.
Appreciated having [the LES] to speak from a lived experience perspective.
[The Lived Experience Speaker’s] openness and knowledge was invaluable.
Great presentation it raised for me that my teenage son who takes prescription medication may need to be researched before he begins driving
Good info on the effects of drugs and alcohol and where to get assistance
Didn't realise the amount of time to reach 0.00 [BAC]
Very informative and valuable attending even if you don't partake in drugs or alcohol
I thought I knew a lot about AOD but I have walked away with knowledge that I did not know I needed. Should do this earlier in the day.
It is so good to hear that there are so many services to help people with drug and alcohol problems. Thankyou.
Great community educational workshop.
This was really great. Starting productive conversation on how we can improve our department, thankyou.
I feel we have been given good knowledge & skills to take back & implement in our work environment. Some interesting things I didn't know was touched on. Really good resources provided so thank you.
Great opportunity to brainstorm solutions.
Awesome, with appreciation
Really knowledgeable presenters, very relevant!
This has been really helpful in how to intervene appropriately FINALLY a training which is practical. Thankyou.
I intend to incorporate being more active with the change cycle into my work practices.
Fantastic presentation, mixed with relevant and theoretical concepts and information.
The group exercises on big paper were helpful, good way to discuss!
Thankyou for the empowering session with both presenters; feel so lucky to be a part of this session.
Brilliant, would love more co-workers to access this.
User friendly format, thankyou for sharing resources. Participation in activities fantastic. Current information provided. I love the respectful language used in relation to our community.
Great interactive training, very engaging & a safe environment for asking questions.
A super engaging training, both in the concrete skills/tools discussed and the background knowledge [the Educator] has.
Concise information that is easy to understand and I can see how I can apply this practically.
Brilliant! Thank you, I feel much more confidence re intervention.
Thankyou was very informative & increased my knowledge & awareness of the topic, particularly in TAS
Powerpoint was very informative, great resources and data. Very engaging facilitator, the session was very interesting and relevant, thank you!
Excellent and knowledgeable presenters. It was great learning about the stage of change.
A good refresher session with updated information.
The scripting was EXTREMELY helpful. How to help young people 1 on 1, help available, ways of engaging/motivation was AMAZING.
Presenters were great, passionate, approachable & human in their responses.
Really interested in more info. Would be great for our young people at school. Facilitator was great presenter and good "moving" activities.
Anticipated it to be boring but was actually the opposite and I loved it!
Very interactive session loved every aspect of it learnt many many new facts and statistics.
I liked the interactive aspects & the very judgement free education system
It was really engaging and I really enjoyed learning more about drugs. I learnt so much thankyou
You have amazing communication with this topic
Fantastic very informative, engaging & relevant, Rob was outstanding
I like that the whole talk was very unjudgemental and created a space where people felt safe to ask questions and involve themselves in the conversation
I learned many things every question I was going to ask was answered
I feel that this program was particularly effective at education on drugs and the risks as it was interactive
Very helpful on the information about both short and long term side effects and harm to our body
I learnt a lot about the effects and harms of drugs, and what their names/classifications are, and what I should do in situations
Getting cancer from alcohol was surprising to me explained really well
Explained about things kids our age would be taking/doing these days
The session was very enjoyable I like the scenarios, I liked that drugs were not demonised
It helped that the slang for drugs was mentioned so I can be more careful
Purely focused on spreading information good at making people make their own choices.
This reaffirmed what my mum told me.
I think we all walked away knowing something new
I was surprised about risks/danger level of alcohol & prescription medicines, thankyou
This session helped me understand things easier, he was a clear speaker and knew what he was saying
I usually get bored during these sort of things but with this one I was engaged the whole time it was very interesting
Can you educate people in primary school. More younger people will do it so please educate them too. Best lesson.
I already knew most of these things but it helped me understand them more
This information really helped me because my family has gone through a person with drug use
Gave me a better understanding of drugs and the effects
I want you to come back next year
I really enjoyed learning about how drugs can effect you, so thankyou for coming
I had so much fun today. I think that you should keep teaching the grade 5's the same thing
I knew some stuff but I know more stuff now.
It's really helpful for me to learn what's bad and good about drugs in the near future
Finance
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The Board of Directors
Team Members
(left Apr 24)
