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…
Swimming at my local outdoor pool, I heard two lifeguards discussing the previous day’s events (when the temperature topped 35 degrees Celsius). I thought a lifeguard’s role was to watch the water and keep people safe. Alas, it now seems the job description has changed. New breed As a teenager, few things beat hanging with…
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…
In my professional dealings with thousands of teenagers at hundreds of parties, I’ve learnt the myriad ways kids handle their ‘hidden treasures’. When it comes to alcohol, I’ve seen them: Bury cans in the ground. Strap bottles to their body. ‘Pre load’ (binge drink) before entering an event. Stuff alcohol-filled zip-lock bags into their bras…
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…
While Western Australia is in election mode, teen parties continue to cause havoc in the community – creating nights more terrifying than any Halloween. Yet this horror is well within our power to control. An ounce of prevention … I’ve always believed a proactive, preventative solution is far better than a passive reaction. To this…
There are some things you just don’t want to spend money on. Insurance, dental work and red-light camera fines spring to mind. These expenses sure ain’t fun, but failing to cover them can cost you a whole lot more down the track. Unfortunately, these days, security for your party is another ‘unfun-but-necessary’ purchase. I know…