Diageo Australia is continuing the highly successful Australian tour of its education program The Smashed Project, taking it back to the ACT and also into Victoria for the first time.
The theatre-in-education program aims to address the dangers of underage drinking and reduce alcohol-related harm in young people. The global project uses interactive dramatisation and workshops that resonate with the young audiences to achieve these goals.
Diageo Australia Managing Director, David Smith said: “As an industry leader, Diageo takes a clear stand on supporting a positive alcohol culture among adults and reducing alcohol-related harm in our community through our Diageo in Society strategy.
“I’m thrilled that through our local delivery partner Gibber, we’re bringing The Smashed Project back to Aussie kids and giving them a forum to better understand the dangers of alcohol and the long-term negative impacts of underage drinking.”
This will be The Smashed Project’s second run in Australia. The program first launched in this country in May 2018, visiting more than 100 high schools over an 11-week tour and reaching more than 20,000 students in the Australia across the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Queensland.
The second will see the project head to ACT and Victoria to more than 7000 year 8, 9 and 10 students across 35 schools. The students will participate in a one-hour session that explores the dangers of underage drinking through a powerful live theatre performance, which is followed by the workshop that encourages the students to engage in an open conversation about the dangers of underage drinking and responding to peer pressure.
The Smashed Project is delivered in partnership with drama-based education group Gibber and its Australian CEO, Tim Watt, said: “The Smashed Project is an effective way to reach young teens on the risks of alcohol misuse because it brings the topic to life in an easily relatable way. These kids aren’t going to respond to being lectured.”
In its first tour of Australia, the program visited more than 100 high schools over an 11-week tour and reached more than 20,000 students in the ACT, NSW and QLD.
