Alcohol education programme for tertiary students
Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd (GGBL) has launched an innovative alcohol education programme dubbed: “What’s Your DRINKiQ”’, targeted at tertiary students across the country.
Advertisement
The programme, which was officially launched on Saturday, November 2, 2013, at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, saw 1,400 second year students of the University successfully going through the programme over a two-day period.
What’s Your DRINKiQ, a collaboration between the Institute of African Studies, the department of Psychiatry of the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS) and GGBL, is an interactive course on alcohol, which is designed to educate and provide factual information to empower young adults to make informed choices about alcohol use.
The collaboration with these key institutions provides cultural relevance and factual medical credence to the programme.
Speaking at the launch, Preba Greenstreet, Corporate Relations Director, GGBL, said ‘we recognise that alcohol, when abused, can have significant consequences for the individual and society as a whole.
We also recognise that young adults without the requisite knowledge may unwittingly abuse alcohol, and that their knowledge is seldom factually based.
This programme is specifically targeted to educate young adults empowering them to make informed choices and decisions on alcohol use’.
She also expressed his excitement to be collaborating with the Institute of African Studies and the Department of Psychiatry of the UGMS in service of GGBL’s commitment to create a positive role for alcohol in Ghanaian society through knowledge sharing and tackling of alcohol abuse in a targeted and measured way.
Commenting on the programme, a senior lecturer and clinical psychologist at the University of Ghana Medical School, Dr Angela Ofori-Atta, said ‘there’s a knowledge gap on the effect of alcohol on the body and mind, especially among young adults.
According to her,the programme bridges that gap in an engaging way that speaks to young adults.
she also added that It demystifies the subject of alcohol and covers topics such as how the body processes alcohol, the short and long term effects of alcohol and provides context on what constitutes the responsible use of alcohol. she therefore recommended this education programme is highly for every young adult.
On her part, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Director of the Institute of African Studies said ‘this is the second year the institute has collaborated with GGBL to run this programme for second year students of the university.
“We sincerely believe it’s the right programme at the right time. As students form permanent and enduring behaviour patterns at this stage in their development, we want to ensure they are informed and empowered to make the right choices”, she added.
Preba Greenstreet (GGBL) and Dr. Angela Ofori Atta at one of the sessions.
Daily Graphic/Ghana
A version of this article appears in print on November 7, 2013, on page 36 of the Daily Graphic with the headline: Alcohol education programme for tertiary students
