Blurred Minds Academy

Program description

Blurred Minds' mission is to change the way young people make decisions around alcohol, vaping, and drugs. The Blurred Minds Academy is an online learning platform that helps teachers to deliver an engaging, relevant, and effective curriculum on alcohol and drug education.

All 13 modules and assessments are based on the Australian curriculum and consist of an online component and a teacher-led discussion to increase effectiveness. The program uses games to make the content engaging for students and teachers. The modules are on:

• vaping deception
• vaping and health
• vaping and the environment
• the brain
• myths and norms
• drink driving
• blood alcohol concentration
• standard drinks
• Australian law
• advertising
• strategies & tactics
• classification of drugs
• marijuana truths.

Intended outcomes

• Increase knowledge about alcohol, vaping, marijuana, and other drugs
• Provide students with the capability to refuse drinks
• Reduce vaping
• Delay onset of drinking
• Reduce excessive drinking
• Improve school culture
• Less alcohol and drug-related harm

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: Students in Years 7 to 10 and their teachers.
• Program adaptability: This program has been developed for, and in consultation with; students and teachers. The combination of online components and facilitated classroom discussion allows for adaption and tailoring to the student cohort's needs. In case of a lockdown or other home schooling event the resources are suitable for online only delivery.
• Staffing: Schools should consider staff backfilling as teachers implement the Blurred Minds Academy for students.
• Training requirements: After access has been agreed upon between schools and the Blurred Minds Academy tea, video and text instructions for enrolling students, accessing resources and delivering lessons are available on log in. Optional onboarding meetings can also be booked, wherein a staff member can walk through the functionality of the website and troubleshoot questions live (e.g. over Zoom). To date, the average use per student and teacher has been 4 hours. For each module, teachers get access to a slide pack as well as a short teacher guide which allows them to prepare for a lesson in less than 15 minutes.
• Factors to consider: Teachers and students have access to Blurred Minds Academy for 4 school terms (one year). During this time, they have no time commitment. There are also no minimum or maximum participation limitations.
• Australian context: This program has been developed and applied in Australia.

Cost

Item cost

$201-2000

Detailed cost

The program's cost includes access to all 13 modules for one year from the date the school purchases access to the Academy. The costs for student enrolment are as follows:

• Up to 100 students ($7.70 per student inc. GST)
• 101-250 students ($6.60 per student inc. GST)
• 251-500 students ($5.50 per student inc. GST)
• >501 students ($4.40 per student inc. GST).