Is SADD just for senior students?
SADD isn't just aimed at students who drive, just like car crashes don't just happen to the driver. If you are wanting to change the culture of people’s attitudes towards driving, why not start early?
Aiming your SADD activities at year 11, 12 and 13’s can seem like the natural option as they are often the ones driving and involved in leading the SADD group. However, involving younger students can also have a place at your school, and there are lots of reasons why this is a good idea.
SADD’s focus is for all road users, and we can confidently say that all students at your school use the roads. Not only do younger student almost definitely go in cars with other adults in their lives, they also bike, scooter, skateboard, walk and more. Younger students have the opportunity to be a big influence in their own home around road safety.
If you are wanting to change the culture of people’s attitudes towards driving, why not start early? Let's be honest, sometimes by year 13 students can be a bit too cool for some activities, but year 9’s are usually pretty keen to give things a go.
We find Term 4 is always such a busy time for seniors, that it is a perfect opportunity to run activities or events that are more focussed on juniors or younger students. If you have any younger students on your SADD committee this might be the chance to give them the reigns to run an activity aimed at their peers. If you are reading this and you’re in year 9 or 10, talk to your group about getting involved!
We asked Charlotte who is in year 9 at Napier Girls High School a couple questions to hear from her perspective.
What made you want to get involved with SADD?
My Dad told me about SADD in 2018 and I was really interested in it. When I came to NGHS in 2019 I saw they had a SADD group and I was really excited and eager to join. I was already pretty interested in stuff about driving and keeping people safe, and when I heard about SADD and about all the activities that can help get more people involved I was stoked!
Why do you think SADD's message and aims are relevant for younger students?
Teaching students about safer driving in a fun and relevant way, when I go to the SADD workshops they have such a great vibe and the way Lydia engages us is awesome!
What sort of activities or things do you think SADD groups could do that would impact and interest younger students?
Tell them why it's relevant to them. Many of the juniors at my school think they can't join because they don't drive. SADD isn't just aimed at students who drive, just like car crashes don't just happen to the driver. I think groups could do things that get people to express their creativity or that bring out the competitiveness in people (Eg: Kahoot, teamwork activities).
We know that for some schools SADD groups are only open to those in year 12 or 13, however we challenge you to think about how you can involve a wider range of students in the future and if you think about it, it really is setting your group up well for the future.
Is SADD just for senior students?
SADD isn't just aimed at students who drive, just like car crashes don't just happen to the driver. If you are wanting to change the culture of people’s attitudes towards driving, why not start early?
Aiming your SADD activities at year 11, 12 and 13’s can seem like the natural option as they are often the ones driving and involved in leading the SADD group. However, involving younger students can also have a place at your school, and there are lots of reasons why this is a good idea.
SADD’s focus is for all road users, and we can confidently say that all students at your school use the roads. Not only do younger student almost definitely go in cars with other adults in their lives, they also bike, scooter, skateboard, walk and more. Younger students have the opportunity to be a big influence in their own home around road safety.
If you are wanting to change the culture of people’s attitudes towards driving, why not start early? Let's be honest, sometimes by year 13 students can be a bit too cool for some activities, but year 9’s are usually pretty keen to give things a go.
We find Term 4 is always such a busy time for seniors, that it is a perfect opportunity to run activities or events that are more focussed on juniors or younger students. If you have any younger students on your SADD committee this might be the chance to give them the reigns to run an activity aimed at their peers. If you are reading this and you’re in year 9 or 10, talk to your group about getting involved!
We asked Charlotte who is in year 9 at Napier Girls High School a couple questions to hear from her perspective.
What made you want to get involved with SADD?
My Dad told me about SADD in 2018 and I was really interested in it. When I came to NGHS in 2019 I saw they had a SADD group and I was really excited and eager to join. I was already pretty interested in stuff about driving and keeping people safe, and when I heard about SADD and about all the activities that can help get more people involved I was stoked!
Why do you think SADD's message and aims are relevant for younger students?
Teaching students about safer driving in a fun and relevant way, when I go to the SADD workshops they have such a great vibe and the way Lydia engages us is awesome!
What sort of activities or things do you think SADD groups could do that would impact and interest younger students?
Tell them why it's relevant to them. Many of the juniors at my school think they can't join because they don't drive. SADD isn't just aimed at students who drive, just like car crashes don't just happen to the driver. I think groups could do things that get people to express their creativity or that bring out the competitiveness in people (Eg: Kahoot, teamwork activities).
We know that for some schools SADD groups are only open to those in year 12 or 13, however we challenge you to think about how you can involve a wider range of students in the future and if you think about it, it really is setting your group up well for the future.
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