Safe Communities Humboldt and Area will offer PARTY program virtually this year. (Facebook/Safe Communities Humboldt and Area)

By Angie Rolheiser

Different kind of PARTY

Safe Communities Humboldt and Area going virtual with PARTY program

May 2, 2021 | 8:00 AM

For the 16th year, Safe Communities Humboldt and Area will present their Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program in the region.

High school students will take part in the PARTY program over a four-week span on a virtual basis, rather than the typical full-day in-person session.

Safe Communities Executive Director Shari Hinz said the adaptation to a virtual format still requires a great deal of planning and significant commitment from the professional groups and individuals involved.

“This year we have obtained recordings of almost all of the sessions in an effort to mitigate any potential technology challenges with hosting nine different high schools virtually at the same time,” Hinz said. “We wanted to ensure students were still able to receive this education, even during the extended pandemic.”

The dynamic, interactive, injury prevention, and health promotion program teaches teenagers about the consequences of risk-taking behaviors.

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“This program has many important messages that youth need to receive to educate them about the consequences of their choices and how a simple decision can impact not only themselves but a multitude of people,” Hinz said.

Local resources and facilities will be utilized to allow students to follow the paths of injury survivors and hear from professionals involved with trauma situations.

Students from Annaheim, Bruno, Englefeld, Lake Lenore, LeRoy, Lanigan, Muenster, Middle Lake, and Humboldt Collegiate Institute will take part in the program each Wednesday in May.

“Realizing the fatigue that extended virtual learning can create especially with the format of this program, we broke the sessions into manageable components and offered them over the course of four weeks,” Hinz said.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic forcing the closure of area schools in 2020 and the province-wide lockdown and restrictions in place last year, Safe Communities was unable to offer the program.

Despite still dealing with pandemic restrictions, the majority of students in the area are attending in schools.

“Rather than missing another year of this important messaging, we knew there was a need to adapt the program to a virtual format to be able to reach the number of students that we do each year in a manner that kept all participants safe,” Hinz said.

Different hands-on experiences will be offered such as a simulated disability while eating lunch to challenges of living with a life-altering injury.

A mock crash is also part of the program as it has been in the past. Students witness the crash and then hear from a local funeral home director and coroner.

Hinz extended her appreciation to schools and professional groups as well as survivor speakers for their commitment in participating in the adapted format of the program.

“The fact we are able to offer the program this year speaks to our resilience and adaptability which is something everyone has demonstrated as we all navigate these challenging times,” Hinz said.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser