8 Ambassadors for Students Against Driving Drunk

NEWS RELEASE

7 May, 2003

SADD

The Minister of Youth Affairs, Hon John Tamihere, presented eight new students with certificates for becoming ambassadors for Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) at Parliament today.

He described the new ambassadors as a great example of what young people can achieve when they believe in a cause. He said that being National Youth Week as well, these young people were leaders and role models for their peers now and the leaders of the future well.

Students Against Driving Drunk is a peer based education programme run by students for students to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. They hold workshops in secondary schools throughout New Zealand and have been very successful in getting the message across to students.

The SADD Ambassadors have a more regional responsibility for facilitating the programme and meet in Wellington to work on national strategic issues.

Peter Sheppard, chief executive of the AA Driver Education Foundation, says despite recent funding concerns the SADD programme has been very effective.

“The SADD programme has been hugely successful in terms of involvement of young people, with 33 workshops involving 230 schools and over 900 students in the first school term this year,” he says.

“Last year the SADD Conference was over-subscribed and we had to turn people away. The website gets 26, 000 hits a week and yet the programme is run on limited resources with only two co-ordinators employed in the country”.

He says the SADD programme needs to be extended to area’s of the country where fatalities amongst young people are high, like the East Coast and the centre of the North Island, but SADD just don’t have the resources.

“We have an application in with the Government for $300,000 to replace funding that was previously provided by the Road Safety Trust. We are very grateful to the Beer Wine and Spirits Council, which provides a substantial amount of support for SADD, but we need the Government to help make up the shortfall”, he said.

The new SADD ambassadors are: Sam Beanland, Lindisfarne College, Hawke’s Bay; Sarah Reid, The Taieri High School, Otago; Jess Benson, Christchurch Girls High School, Canterbury; Brydie Tredinnick, Marlborough Girls College, Marlborough; Jennifer McKenzie, Kristin School, Auckland; Katie Von-Lyn, Otamatea High School, Northland, Tim Brightwell, Hamilton Boys High School, Waikato; Sheree Addison, Te Puke High School, Bay Of Plenty ENDS: For further information, please contact: Peter Sheppard, CEO, Driver Education Foundation, ph (04) 931 9968, Mob (025) 222 6964 Or Catherine Beard, Comsar Communications, ph (04)389 0544, (0274) 633 212

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