Are you a teacher?    Do you work in a hospital or a social institution?    Are you an active member of your community?

Then it is YOU that we are looking for and encourage to hold an activity during DAW 2010! Anyone from schools, hospitals, small community groups to large organisations can get involved.

Some ideas for activities include running a sporting competition, addressing a school assembly, organising a debate, arranging a seminar or workshop on a particular issue, or just hosting a social event such as a BBQ, a family day out, or an information stall.

Don’t forget that DAW is not only a great opportunity to help ADCA raising awareness for the harm that can be caused to the individual, families, and the community by the misuse of alcohol and other drugs, and to highlight the achievements of the dedicated individuals who work within the AOD sector to reduce alcohol and drug-related harm.

It is also a great opportunity for you to promote your organisation with its achievements and goals.

Below are some more ideas that you can use to develop your activity.

Be Artistic

• Hold an art exhibition themed around drug issues
• Put on a theatre performance, or
• Organise a drug and alcohol-free band or DJ night.

Get Sporty

• Host a sports competition day displaying drug and alcohol messages
• Involve your local sporting club with activities
• Ask sporting celebrities to run workshops or make appearances, or
• Hold a walk-a-thon.

Invite a special guest

• Approach a local musician, sportsperson or politician to attend your activity.

Utilise the Media

• Contact your local or community radio station and promote your activity and the message:
  DAW 2010 - Looking after YOUR mind
• Write articles for local newspapers
• Distribute a media release to your local media outlets, or
• Focus your activity around a theme that has been a big issue recently.

Create an Activity for Kids

• Have a sports day
• Host a disco or concert
• Run a colouring in competition, or
• Design a treasure hunt.

Be Informative

• Download and print the Drug Action Week fact sheets to distribute to activity participants
• Put up a display in a shopping centre or other public venue
• Hold a forum for politicians, teachers, or medical professionals
• Make a presentation to a school group, workplace or community leaders, or
• Host a parent information evening.

Debate

• Organise an interschool debate about drug and alcohol themes, or
• Challenge people’s ideas about drugs with quizzes, tests and asking them to pour standard drinks.

Involve people

• Host a trivia night
• Put up a stall in a public place challenging people to pour standard drinks
• Organise a tour of alcohol and drug agencies in your area, or
• Host something social like a BBQ or ball.

Launch something

• Launch a new resource
• Open a new organisation
• Introduce a new initiative, or
• Release a new report.

Fundraise

• Hold a raffle
• Host trivia night
• Organise a charity auction, or
• Sell tickets for a film benefit.