Tackling young people's drinking pt95

Mentor UK has announced its 2008 awards scheme - aimed at recognising projects in England, Scotland and Wales that can help prevent children and young people aged 14 or under from misusing alcohol – both now and in their future lives.   Nominations are sought for projects that promote healthy attitudes and behaviours and which help children and young people to avoid the dangers of alcohol misuse.

Awards will be made in the following three categories:

• for work in schools
• for work in the community
• for projects led by young people

Details here

The first month of an alcohol test-purchasing scheme to help curb underage drinking in Strathclyde has recorded a "failure" rate of just 9%. Of 235 test purchases at licensed premises last month as part of the Can't Tell - Don't Sell campaign, only 21 were recorded as failures. The crackdown by Strathclyde Police involves deploying 16-year-olds to licensed premises, where they try to buy alcohol.  The Herald

A scheme to mark alcohol with ultra-violet labels so it can be traced back to retailers is unlikely to be effective in combating under-age drinking, says independent retailers' association NFRN. The scheme is being piloted in Fife, and local MSP Claire Baker is calling for it to be extended to cover the whole of Scotland.

But NFRN president Colin Finch said:

“Underage drinking is becoming a significant problem in the communities that NFRN members serve. As independent and local retailers, members know that underage alcohol consumption can be damaging equally to teenagers and their neighbourhoods.

"As much as the NFRN supports any regulation or legislation that might help in resolving the issue we doubt that the UV marking scheme – as currently piloted in Fife – would be effective at all.

"We have, on numerous occasions, stressed the problem of proxy buying for example, where an adult purchases alcohol and or tobacco and sells or passes these products on to underage consumers.

“Finding a product in the hands of an underage consumer does not guarantee in any way that the same person actually made the purchase. Not to mention that with today's changing lifestyle alcohol may be found in most home refrigerators – without the teenagers actually needing to purchase it.  TalkingRetail.com

Pupils at Middleton Technology School and Queen Anne’s Academy were shown the dangers of underage drinking in a powerful drama by Altru Theatre Company. The ‘fingers burnt’ performance links in with a brand new ‘Responsible Retailer’ scheme which is being piloted in Middleton. The scheme involves local retailers agreeing to challenge young people who look under the age of 21 in a bid to reduce under-age sales and anti-social behaviour. Responsible Retailers will ask for a valid form of ID from anyone who looks under 21 when purchasing alcohol, cigarettes, knives or solvents.  Rochdale online