OurFutures Prevention Programs

Program description

OurFutures Institute provides evidence-based, curriculum-aligned drug, alcohol, vaping, and mental health education courses to secondary school students in years 7 to 11. The programs are delivered online, using interactive cartoon storylines that are engaging and relatable to young people.

The programs were developed by researchers at The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at The University of Sydney, and use a social influence and harm minimisation approach.

Modules cover Alcohol, Cannabis, Psychostimulants, MDMA, other Emerging Drugs, Vaping and Mental Health. By focusing on prevention, OurFutures looks to step in before harmful patterns of substance use start.

Intended outcomes

• Increased knowledge about alcohol and other drugs
• Reduced intentions to use alcohol and other drugs
• Reduced alcohol consumption and binge drinking
• Reduced harms from alcohol and other drugs
• Reduced cannabis and MDMA use
• Improved mental health

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: The program is designed for secondary school students from Years 7–11, and to build the capacity of secondary school staff.
• Program adaptability: The OurFutures modules are designed to be universal, and therefore suitable for youth regardless of risk category. The programs include audio as well as speech bubbles for students that have low literacy or neurodivergent needs. The characters have been developed in consultation with youth so that they represent a cross-section of students from CALD and LGBTIQA+ backgrounds. OurFutures Institute can also offer students access to the Strong and Deadly Futures resource for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
• Staffing: Backfilling for staff is not required. The Menu provider and its personnel must not be alone with any school student or group of school students in the classroom or in any other place at the school’s premises without another educator, teacher or teacher’s aide present at all times.
• Training requirements: Teachers and students will require access to computers and internet connection.
• Factors to consider: There is no minimum number of students required. There is a time commitment of 4–6 lessons that are 40 minutes. Staff will be provided with implementation support from a dedicated customer support team as well as resources such as the FAQs and implementation guide.
• Australian context: This program has been developed and applied in Australia. It has proven efficacy from 8 clinical trials with 240 schools and 21,000 students.

Cost

Minimum cost

From under $1,000

Detailed cost

The cost for the OurFutures prevention program is $11 per student per module (including GST). Prices include:

• teacher resources
• implementation guide
• instructions on the online portal, and support via personalised onboarding
• training webinars
• Zoom sessions
• troubleshooting of technical issues.

Modules include:

• Alcohol Prevention Education for years 7 and 8
• Alcohol and Cannabis Prevention Education for years 8 and 9
• Cannabis and Psychostimulants Prevention Program for years 9, 10 and 11
• Vaping Prevention Education Program for years 7and 8
• Health4Life for years 7and 8
• Mental Health for years 9, 10 and 11
• MDMA and Emerging Drugs for years 9, 10 and 11.

Each module can be completed in approximately 2.5 to 4 hours by students online or in class.

There is no minimum or maximum number of students required per school or number of modules students need to be enrolled in.

Schools can access the modules for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Schools can access the Vaping Prevention Education Program for free as it is currently fully funded by the federal government.