Short films and posters raising awareness of the danger of alcohol misuse have been produced by Dudley students as part of a project with health officials.

Dudley Council’s public health team has been working with Dudley College’s creative media production students to raise awareness of the issue of alcohol misuse among young people

Over three months, students worked in teams to produce separate videos focusing on alcohol and physical health, alcohol and mental health, binge drinking, alcohol and sexual health and risk taking behaviours.

They researched the issues and the effects of alcohol misuse, carried out interviews with other young people and developed a range of promotional materials, including short films and posters.

All were showcased at an event in front of 160 staff and students who voted for their favourite campaign.

The winning campaign was produced by Eloise Howells (17), Oliver Cooper (18), Joseph Shotton (17) and Jake Anders (19), whose focus was to raise awareness of alcohol and sexual health. Their campaign focused on how binge drinking and alcohol misuse can effect a young person’s decision to use contraception and the consequences of not doing so. Oliver Cooper said:

“We wanted to explore how alcohol can affect your decisions and lower your inhibitions. Whilst researching we found out the 40 per cent of young people who have had sex say they haven’t used protection on at least one occasion due to being under the influence.

"We thought this figure was extremely high and therefore we made this the focus of our campaign.”

Councillor Rachel Harris, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said:

“We’re delighted to have been able to work with Dudley College students to raise awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse and have been extremely impressed with the campaigns they’ve come up with.

“It’s so important we raise awareness of the effects of alcohol misuse and they’ve clearly done a tremendous amount of work researching and then developing all the materials. I’d like to congratulate them all on their achievements.”

The videos and posters are available on the Think Alcohol website and will be showcased throughout the college. If you or someone you know needs support with their drinking, call our young person’s service Switch on  01384 241440 or visit thinkalcohol.com.