To promote injury prevention through reality education, enabling youth to recognize risk and make informed choices about activities and behaviors.

Program Goals and Objectives:

·       To educate youth to recognize risks.

·       To increase youths’ awareness of personal responsibility for their choices

·       To increase youths’ knowledge of the impact of serious injury on quality of life.

·       To empower youth to make informed, smart choices.

·       To promote other injury prevention initiatives

·       To contribute to a reduction in the incidence of risk-related trauma for youth.

The P.A.R.T.Y. Program is a 4-6 hour session, in a hospital setting, where student from local junior/senior high schools come and observe the path of an injury survivor; from pre-hospital care through to rehabilitation.  They meet professionals that would care for them in a trauma situation.  Paramedics, Emergency Physicians. Nurse and Therapists describe the painful journey of a trauma patient.

Facts are presented about head and spinal cord injury and the students have hands-on experience with the equipment used in trauma care and rehabilitation.  Teens tour through Emergency and Intensive Care Units, viewing a simulated patient and the equipment used in their care.  This is a very powerful part of the day as it brings realism to what they have learned throughout their day. 

 

The most powerful part of the day is the injury survivor presentation.  Young people talk frankly about their injuries, the events that lead to the injury and what their lives are like now.  Students have the opportunity to ask questions of these injury survivors to gain a better understanding of what someone goes through when they are injured.  The injury survivor talks about their family, friends, the injury and how it affected each aspect of their lives, before, during and after the injury.  This by far has the greatest impact on teens and leaves an impression that for some lasts a lifetime.

 

Students are empowered to recognize risk and are exposed to the line where everyone has a line of choice between safe and dangerous.  There are five things they learn to do: 

 

·        Buckle up,

·        Drive sober,

·        Wear the gear,

·        Look first,

·        Get trained.   

They are given aids to help with this through items like

·        The Contract For Life

·        Friends for Life Cards

·        Risk Continuum

RACC(Recognize that risk exists, Assess the risk, Consider a behavior that will decrease injury and death, Consider the consequences)

  

 

This is a universal anti-drinking and driving contract to be signed by friends.  Friends may be family or peers, partners or dates — anyone reliable.  Keep this card in your wallet or purse to remind you of your commitment to

 

 PARTY Safely    

Friends PARTY Safely

As friends who can count on one another,

we promise we will not drive after drinking

or ride with someone who has been drinking.  

_____________________________________

Name of Cardholder—Signature

Friend _______________________________

Phone _______________________________

Friend _______________________________

Phone _______________________________

    FRIENDSHIP HOLDS THE KEYS

Awareness is key to keeping our children safe.  They need to know that we are aware of where they are going and that we are committed to keeping them safe.  Therefore, we encourage both the kids and parents to keep these cards handy when their kids go out with friends.  They are then encouraged to pass it on to others, so the learning can continue.