NINE SCHOOLS across the West Midlands including one in Coventry are set to receive a powerful lesson on the perils of underage drinking as the renowned alcohol awareness theatre production, ‘Smashed,’ embarks on another tour.
Facilitated by Collingwood Learning and sponsored by Diageo, ‘Smashed’ employs drama and interactive workshops to enlighten students about the realities, causes, and repercussions of underage alcohol consumption.
Each 25-minute performance is followed by a 35-minute workshop where students engage with the material, reflecting on the characters’ choices and addressing any questions.
Diageo is promoting responsible drinking and combating alcohol-related harm to show its support for programmes like ‘Smashed,’ aligning with its goal to educate 10 million young people, teachers, and parents globally by 2030.
Now in its 15th year, ‘Smashed’ has reached over half a million students in Great Britain alone, with a global total of 1.9 million students in 2022-2023.
Chris Simes, Chair of Collingwood Learning, said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this global programme back to schools in the West Midlands this year.
“As statistics show, underage drinking presents a real threat to the health and well-being of young people.
“Our goal is to enhance the current alcohol education curriculum in schools with our memorable performance and workshop experience that helps young people explore the risks of underage drinking and build their confidence to say ‘no’ in the face of teenage peer pressure.”
In addition to live interactive workshops, ‘Smashed’ offers support for schools in delivering essential Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) content.
The award-winning alcohol education programme is entirely free for schools to receive and schools which are unable to participate in the live tour, ‘Smashed Online’ provides an accessible alternative.
Visit online.smashedproject.org/gb/ to find out more.
