Youthsafe helps young people make more rational decisions on the sportsfield, while driving or at work
Young people tend to get a bad rap these days, with images of youth ‘bus surfing’ or clinging to the back of a moving train fuelling the perception of extreme risk taking.
There is an organisation that works quietly behind the scenes to reduce risk taking by young people. Whether that be on ebikes, driving a car, in the workplace or on the sportsfield. Youthsafe has been around since 1982, ‘one of the world’s best kept secrets,’ jokes chief executive Warren Johnson.
The reality is that young people aged 14 to 26 take more risks than older adults, and are overly represented in emergency departments across the country. “About 12% of drivers on our roads are young drivers, but 25% of the casualties are young drivers,” Warren states. “There’s a young worker injured in NSW every four minutes, costing billions of dollars to industry. And concussion rates are at their absolute highest when people are 14 years of age” Warren reveals.
“They haven’t got that fully mature brain that keeps most adults in a position where they can better identify and judge risk.”
The statistics are frightening, but it is also why Youthsafe engages adults in their programs. These may be sports coaches, parents, teachers and workplace supervisors. So while Youth Safe conducts sessions in schools – many are familiar with their presenters in wheelchairs providing lived experience of how a car crash has given them permanent disability – their focus is on those who have an ongoing relationship with them. “Parents and sporting coaches are really well placed to exercise helpful influence in the reduction of these sorts of injuries,” Warren explains.
The key is prevention of unintentional injury, which normally occurs when a young person takes a risk. “We do focus a lot on mindset, beliefs and attitudes to invite that sort of individual reflection in people about their own behaviours, their own experiences, and what alternatives there might be.”
So in a discussion with young people in a school, the presenter will discuss what response a young person could give if their friend, who is clearly intoxicated, wants to drive them home. “If that means they have to make up some sort of convenient excuse to avoid absolute risk (like ‘Dad’s coming to pick me up in 10 minutes’), that’s absolutely fine.”
There are also increasing examples of young people on ebikes having altercations with drivers, resulting in serious injury to the youth. “In these cases, we would explore with them opportunities around safe escape and de-escalation, rather than taking the bait and further exacerbating a situation,” Warren says. “They haven’t had that life experience, unlike an adult who can walk into a situation and have a reasonable ability to suss it out and ‘wing it.’”
Warren says with the diverse range of programs Youthsafe runs, including learner driver education for disadvantaged and at-risk youth, the charity is in constant need of funds. And the programs resonate, with one school commenting on presenter Hamish Murray: “The activities were highly engaging and struck the perfect balance between the serious nature of road safety and the relatable, real-world experiences you shared.”
Donate today: youthsafe.org
