School Leaver (Graduate) Celebrations in Margaret River, Western Australia: A Community Approach to Management

Abstract

In recent years, an increasing number of young Western Australians have chosen the tourist town of Margaret River, about 300 kilometers south of the Perth, as the place to celebrate completing school. Typically, the celebrations involve intense socializing and considerable binge drinking. In 2001, the community developed a comprehensive management strategy to minimize the impact of the celebrations, while still facilitating an enjoyable experience for the leavers (recent graduates). This incorporated community members providing supervised activities for the leavers. Evaluation of the intervention employed a mixed methodology, comprising surveys of school leavers, interviews with community stakeholders, and participant observation. The findings indicated that the leavers generally got what they wanted from the experience and the community felt it had maintained control. Providing activities built a relationship between the leavers and the community and seemed important in minimizing problems for both groups. An added bonus was the community developed greater confidence and capacity.

Keywords:

• young people
• alcohol
• community
• prevention

Notes

Notes

*The term community has become something of a policy buzzword that has been attached to a diverse range of ideas and initiatives. It means various things to a range of individual and systemic stakeholders. “Shared geography,” as an often-regarded simplistic, common denominator, minimizes the range of other “sharing” options, which range from actual objects to beliefs, values, membership in, identification with, association with, from a micro- to a globalized macrolevel. One can categorize in very simplistic terms—for heuristics—three types of community intervention models to consider and to explore the “demands” and “implications” of community readiness and community awareness for planned intervention: (a) a professional network, (b) a community partnership, and (c) a grass-roots community initiative. Shiner et al. (2004) Exploring community responses to drugs. York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (www.jrf.org.uk). Editor's note.

1. This agency was provided with federal and state funding to assist communities manage leavers' celebrations. A staff member with community development experience worked with the Margaret River community in preparing and then implementing a local management plan for the celebrations.