Galway City youths tackle teen drinking crisis

A group of young people from the Rahoon Youth Project in Galway Westside are currently working on a project that will tackle the problem of underage drinking in Galway.

The project is called Boozebusters, and the aim is to teach teenagers how to be safe when consuming alcohol.

Though the young people on the project do not endorse underage drinking, they are very aware of the fact that teenagers are doing it anyway.

“We give facts [about] units and tips on staying safe while on a night out, through games and activities to both parents and young people. While we don’t agree with young people drinking under the age of 18, we do understand that it does happen,” said 18-year-old Laura Vasilevskaya.

As well as facts and information, the Boozebusters team provides quizzes for young people, debates, games and other activities. They also provide recipes for non-alcoholic beverages, to encourage the young people to refrain from alcohol where possible.

Workshops are also provided for parents, so that they know what to do if their teenagers come home drunk after a night out.

So far, the project has received an excellent response: “People think that it’s a great idea because something needs to be done about the underage drinking in Galway,” said Laura.

The Boozebusters team hopes to continue their work, with plans to travel to Dublin to meet similar groups and learn how they can improve their own project. They also plan to provide parents and teenagers with more tips and facts, and to host more workshops.

Funded by the European Commission through the Youth in Action programme and Léargas, the initiative has been a great experience for the Boozebusters team and will continue to teach young people about alcohol.

The team is currently working on a new website that will provide more information at www.boozebusters.comuf.com

For more on this story, see the current edition of the Galway City Tribune