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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 2, 2008 - 27 Students in the right CARRIERS WANTED spirit on safe partying The Oakville Beaver By Hiba Kesebi SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Join our carrier club Earn extra money and win prizes Many routes still available Call immediately for more information High school students are repeatedly hit with the same messages. Don't drink and drive. Don't do drugs. Party safe. But as Scott Millar admits most students tend to ignore these messages. Nonetheless, the staff of Party in The Right Spirit: The Choice is Yours Conference believe that the message they sent out last week at the Meeting House, will stick. "The conference is run by youth for youth," said Millar, one of the committee's chairs. "The approach we are using is unique. It's not teachers lecturing the students. I'm not lecturing the students. They're engaging in dialogue and without knowing it, indirectly telling one another to make the right choices." More than 170 students from 18 schools were at the conference. Through interactive workshops, students from across Halton got a taste of Hollywood -- that is, a taste of how uncool Hollywood can be. Students had the opportunity to attend Judge Trudy, a humorous mock celebrity drunk driving trial put together by Georgetown's Christ the King Catholic Secondary school. The high school's drama students impersonated a drunk Amy Winehouse, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. According to Emily Mayers from T.A. Blakelock, Judge Trudy was able to send the message across: drinking and driving is a stupid choice to make. "The humour in the play was really good. I've heard the same message a hundred times, but now it's more subtle and fun, so I think it would stick more," said the Grade 12 student. Mayers and the rest of the attendees, also had the opportunity to create their own Zines. With music in the background, they cut out pictures from magazines and created their own messages that followed the conference's motto: Be informed, take care of each other, and make your own decisions. The students' final products brightened Millar's eyes. "It's like kindergarten class, but with high school students," laughed Millar. "They worked together and, in the end, they produced fantastic results," he said pointing towards a Zine page, with the message "Drugs Hurt. What Were They Thinking?" written in big block 905-845-9742 A series of FREE public education seminars presented by Halton Healthcare Services Psychiatric Care Made Easy and Unterstandable T uesday, May 6, 2008 6:30 pm Displays and Refreshments 7:00 pm Presentation by: Dr. Tom Hastings, Psychiatrist Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital 327 Reynolds Street, Oakville Reduced parking fee FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT CALL 905-338-4379 In Partnership with: · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · DANIEL HECHTER PARIS · BIRKENSTOCK · RIEKER · ARA · ROHDE · MEPHISTO Ingeborg Shoes · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · DANIEL HECHTER PARIS · BIRKENSTOCK · RIEKER · ARA · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · ROHDE · MEPHISTO · DANIEL HECHTER PARIS · BIRKENSTOCK · RIEKER · ARA · ROHDE · MEPHISTO featuring DEREK WOOLLAM / OAKVILLE BEAVER DELIVERING THE MESSAGE: Keynote speaker Matt Evans, Executive Director of Ontario Students Against Impaired Driving (OSAID) talks to Halton high school students at The Choice is Yours, an interactive conference for youth, by youth, on safer partying. letters, surrounded by magazine pictures of Hollywood stars, like Lohan. "Remember, sometimes we use our voices, and sometimes we don't. The message of this conference is to use our voices, to speak up when we're in a drinking and driving situation," Millar told the students, as they got ready to attend their next workshop. Liz Laidlaw, a public health nurse, works with high schools to promote healthy decisions. She saw this event as a great opportunity to interact with Halton high school students. "My goal was to inform the students about the media and Hollywood. And to show them that, sometimes, the choices they advertise, are not the best choices to make," she said. According to Laidlaw, volunteers and staff have been preparing for the conference since October. "It's a good time to send the message across now because we are nearing prom, and the students should be aware of impacts of their decisions," she explained. The Choice is Yours committee includes 10 youth volunteers, representatives from the Halton region health department, and other local organizations. High school students have been attending similar conferences since 1998. For further information visit www.haltonyouth.com La argest selection at Great Prices INGEBORG'S WAREHOUSE 1681 FINFAR COURT, MISSISSAUGA Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 to 5 Sun. 11 to 4 905-823-7415