This Guidance is to support delivery of VSA information to young people aged in a classroom or youth group setting.

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1 Guidance notes for teachers on how to run a VSA session for young people To be used in conjunction VSA Teaching Guidance Information document. This Guidance is to support delivery of VSA information to young people aged in a classroom or youth group setting. Aims: Raise awareness about the range of substances that may be misused and how they are misused. Discuss the number of deaths and most common age Explore the short and long term effects and associated risks. Discuss the impact of death on family members and friends Examine why people take risks and the best way to stay safe and respond to peer pressure Timings Tutor Activity Student Activity Teaching Information 0-5 Introductions Ask students what they think * Smelling a new deodorant is not solvent abuse or sniffing is? what we are talking about with solvent abuse. People who are Sniffing or Inhaling a product are using the product in a very different way to get an effect. What is sniffing? Common terms (see guidance) Discuss the difference between Smelling products and Sniffing or inhaling them to get an effect.

2 Products that are sniffed (see guidance) Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome (see guidance) What products do they know or think that people may inhale to achieve a drug like effect? Ask students what they think is the issue with people using products as drugs?...death. *Avoid discussing methods of use with students, drawing any questions to the fact the session is about the risks of misusing products so as long as they are using them for their legitimate use they are safe. Death statistics Egg roulette: 2 players: a box of 6 eggs (3 hard boiled, 3 soft). 2 players take it in turn to select an egg and smash it on their heads. Raw eggs mean death. Game highlights the risk that people take when sniffing. Hence the term egg roulette. Ask students what they think is the more common ages of death? What is the youngest ever death? How does a 7 year old know how to abuse an aerosol can? Introduce the concept of Russian Roulette when inhaling products, as solvents can kill on first time use, 100 th time or after years of abuse. Data collected over the years, shows that the highest number of deaths occurs in those aged 15 and 16. Two deaths have occurred in children aged 7, both from the abuse of aerosols. If used correctly these products are safe. A child is likely to have observed the misuse of these products to know how to do this.

3 Discuss the short-term effects So, that s the decision to make..30 minutes feeling drunk but it can kill at any point. Is it worth the risk??? The abuse of products slows the body down and makes the user feel intoxicated (similar to alcohol) but can also induce hallucinations. The effects wear off a lot faster than alcohol use and so the person can feel sober Discuss the potential long-term effects (see guidance) Prior to showing the Long Term effects slide, if time permits students can draw the outline of a body and draw their interpretation of the long term effects on their person again within 30 minutes. Flipchart paper and pens People do become psychologically addicted and can get to the stage where they feel like they need to inhale every day. Over many years, inhaling chemicals in products can cause damage to major organs in the body Associated dangers Ask students what others dangers there are when the user is high. Death is only one danger to this perceived fun pastime.

4 40-50 Wider impact: effects on others Examine effects on family/friends SACKI logo: stands for Solvent Abuse Can Kill Instantly. Have you seen the warning signs? Film A Loaded Gun. This can be downloaded from our website. We all think we are indestructible and it won t happen to us. The SACKI logo is on consumer products for a reason, because if you take the risk to inhale, you could be one of the unlucky users who die instantly I m a celebrity food challenge. Boys V girls Dog Food: open a 400g ring pull tin of any variety from the bottom, remove the contents and label then wash. Fill the tin with chocolate muffins cut into small squares. Melt one packet of jelly in a jug and pour in coke until the jelly turns brown. Fill the tin with the jelly ensuring all muffins are covered. Leave in the fridge to set. Glue a dog food label to the tin and leave the tin upside down. Turn the tin the correct way just before use and open using the ring pull. Students to eat a variety of foods in a challenge. The group select a boy and girl to represent the males and females. Encourage the other students to support the players to continue to eat what is presented to them. Try and select challenging foods (gherkins, mustard, marmite etc). Finally, reveal a tin of dog food, open it in front of the players and see if they will continue with the challenge and eat the dog food. It takes a strong person to say no when friends are putting pressure on you. Think about the information you have heard today and when you are making any decisions in your own life, make sure that you are making them based on what you personally want to do, not because you are feeling pressured by your friends.

5 Peer Pressure discussion The aim of this game is to emphasis the effects of peer pressure. Any student who resists the pressure from their friends and refuses to eat the dog food is the winner. Use the information that you gather to make informed decisions on what risks you are willing to take in your life. Ask students what they understand by peer pressure. Guidance issued: June 2013 Next review date: June 2014