Sadd ambassador promotes message of making wise choices

A desire to stop the carnage on the road caused by alcohol prompted Blue Mountain College pupil Bethany Cross to become involved in the teen educational group Students Against Drink Driving (Sadd).

The 17-year-old is especially keen to get the message of making wise choices out when it comes to alcohol and driving, as this week is Sadd Awareness Week.

Sadd is a peer education programme that has been operating in secondary schools for more than 20 years.

The organisation aims to reduce the road toll by promoting a positive behaviour change in 13- to 17-year-olds.

Pupils run activities in their schools and communities with the support from the Sadd team and other stakeholders.

Not only is Bethany involved in the Blue Mountain Sadd team, but she is the Clutha region chairwoman and is one of six Sadd ambassadors appointed for the whole of New Zealand.

She was keen to be involved in the organisation because it had a purpose, she said.

While the organisation was often associated with promoting safe options for after-ball parties, its members were continually working at increasing awareness and promoting the making of good choices, Bethany said.

The main aim for Bethany was to increase the organisation's profile and its key messages, she said.

Pupils had arranged a variety of events to mark Sadd week including quizzes, and there were T-shirts and printed material containing messages distributed.

A DVD that highlighted the dangers of drink driving was shown at a Blue Mountain College assembly and Bethany said it was a ‘‘really effective'' tool for bringing home the message.

Other information available included how to plan an alcoholfree school social.

A leaflet containing recipes for non-alcoholic drinks called mocktails was among resources on offer, she said.

The college was looking at making some of the drinks in its home economics class, she said.

The recipes included berry sweetheart, seedless watermelon mocktail and pineapple and lime cooler.

Young people needed to realise that if they drink and drive they were risking people's lives, she said.

A victim of a crash was always someone's daughter, son, mother, father or friend, she said.

‘‘It's [drink driving] a silly decision and it's endangering other people,'' she said.

The organisation attracted support from teachers, parents and pupils, Bethany said.

‘‘If you drink and drive you double the risk of being killed on the road,'' she said.