Life skills Most teens are keen to experience adult life and be treated with respect. This is a natural part of growing up, but it’s a two-way deal. For it to work, teenagers must give a bit; they can’t just take, take and take. We’re not talking sheep stations here. I’m just saying that with…
Everything old is new again Remember absinthe? The stuff that drove addicts ‘mad’ and was banned for a century? Well, it’s coming to a teen party near you. While absinthe’s psychoactive perils may have been overplayed, any drink that packs up to 74% alcohol by volume is not for kids. Absinthe is ferociously potent for…
Mighty quest For two years I’ve been campaigning nationally for legislative change in relation to teen parties. As the recent spate of party-related damage, injury and death clearly shows, we need solutions more than ever. Litany of loss On Wednesday, a young man home alone decided to throw this highly destructive party. On Thursday, a…
I have enormous respect for police. I used to be one. But it’s increasingly obvious they just don’t have the resources to cope with exploding demands on their services. Here’s the latest case in point. Road rage A Saturday night ‘after-party’ in Melbourne’s outer east proved very difficult. The party home had no front fence and was…
The Party Survival App is a mobile application that assists with planning a safe teenage party providing parents with a step by step guide for party planners that includes a party checklist, a venue safety checklist together with an alcohol management plan and many other features. According to Naomi Oakley a former Victorian Police member…
Ever keen to improve teen party safety, my team and I have been trying innovative solutions to the gatecrasher plague. And boy, are we onto a winner! Fixed cameras are proving to be a cheap, easy yet amazingly effective deterrent for unwanted guests. Just take a look … Holding the line Here we have a…
If you thought bad acid went out with Woodstock, think again. Today’s LSD is called ‘Psy acid’ and your teenager may be on it. This news story backs up what my staff and I are dealing with at the coal face: hard drugs are filtering into teen events. I’m very concerned, and I want parents…
Here’s a lovely article that I read with interest, then dismay: Drunk callouts swamp ambos. Did you know that Western Australia’s stretched ambulance crews are treating ten drunks a day?! I find this and other figures sobering. What a pity other people don’t! Lie of the land In WA, more than seven teenagers a week…
Kids. They grow up so fast! Like to know how fast? A 24-year-old drives his kid brother to a girl’s twelfth birthday. The party’s in the well-heeled Melbourne suburb of Brighton. When the man returns to collect his brother several hours later, he sees pre-teens (i.e. children) staggering round the front yard, vomiting profusely on…
It’s that time of year again. Exams finish in a few weeks. Schoolies and end-of-year parties are just around the corner. Parents are really stressing. How do I know? Because I’ve planned and worked at more than 500 teen events. And because I have an 18-year-old daughter of my own. Freak-out season Parents are extremely…