The P.A.R.T.Y. Program (Prevent Alcohol & Risk Related Trauma in Youth)

P.A.R.T.Y. is an in-hospital, interactive injury prevention program for teenagers. It was developed at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in 1986 by Emergency Room staff after experiencing a large number of trauma cases involving young people.

In October 2011, Quinte Health Care held its first P.A.R.T.Y. program and during the 2011-2012 school year, the program hosted a total of 27 times, reaching a total of 625 students from throughout the region.

P.A.R.T.Y. Program is a 5 1/2 hour day for students aged 15 – 17 years and runs on Wednesdays throughout the school year. It is offered at each of our four hospitals.

A typical P.A.R.T.Y. Day allows students to follow the course of injury from occurrence, through transport, treatment, and rehabilitation. Students hear from a number of speakers such as nurses, doctors, police, firemen, funeral home personnel, domestic violence and sexual assault workers, rehabilitation staff and injury survivors. Together, students and speakers come face-to-face with the reality of making poor choices. The P.A.R.T.Y. program provides an atmosphere to learn about the consequences that are often involved when youth choose risky behaviours.

Perhaps the most effective and powerful parts of the program is toward the end of the day when students hear from people who have been injured through their or someone else’s risk-related behaviour. Injury survivors share their stories in hopes that the choices and consequences leading to their injury might help others make different decisions.

P.A.R.T.Y. is a vital component of the growing community effort to reduce death and injury in alcohol/drug and risk-related crashes and other incidents. Each program is based on real scenarios with a goal to make a difference in the lives of our youth.

P.A.R.T.Y. is mostly staffed by volunteers and is supported by the Trenton Memorial Hospital Foundation.

For more information visit:
http://www.partyprogram.com/
http://www.youtube.com/thepartyprogram
http://www.facebook.com/pagesPARTY-Program