$20,000 for drug and alcohol counselling group

Stuart Caldwell from Get Smart Tauranga.

An organisation dedicated to helping Western Bay youngsters avoid binge drinking and drugs has received a $20,000 financial boost.

BayTrust has given the substantial grant to Get Smart to help pay for the charitable trust's operational costs for 2015.

Get Smart has been running in Tauranga since 1991 and provides free drug and alcohol counselling for 600 people a year aged 13 to 24 at the 17th Ave Historic Village, plus a range of other support programmes.

"We have a real issue with alcohol in our community," Get Smart manager Stuart Caldwell said. "Many people don't realise but we have a huge number of inebriated young people, especially young females, at risk just from excess alcohol consumption."

Get Smart also runs the well-known Street Help van which will celebrate its 24th birthday next month. Every Friday and Saturday night between 10pm and 3am a team of Get Smart volunteers can be found dishing out free hot pies and warm milos to dozens of youngsters while talking to them about drug and alcohol issues.

"We're putting food in their stomach which slows down the metabolism of alcohol but we're always looking out for people at risk," Mr Caldwell said.

"Very often we take young people home or to a safe location. Or sometimes to hospital if they're too inebriated to hold a conversation."

The distinctive Street Help van travels around numerous city suburbs and to townships like Te Puke, although it usually winds up in Tauranga's CBD after midnight.

Get Smart also runs a specific programme targeting at-risk primary school girls aged 8-10 to help build their self-esteem and life skills, and Mr Caldwell regularly speaks to local high school groups and training institutions about goal setting plus drug and alcohol-related harm.

"Research shows just disseminating information about drugs and alcohol has little to no value. However, if you climb into their personal lives and talk about what they want to do and achieve in future, then position drugs and alcohol as a possible saboteur, then they see those subsequent messages in a totally different light."

Mr Caldwell said BayTrust's support had been invaluable, and the $20,000 would help pay for staff wages and office expenses.

"The role of BayTrust over a number years in supporting our operational costs has been enormous," he said. "We are so grateful for their involvement in helping us identify where we're making a difference and how we can build capacity in the various services that we offer."

BayTrust chief executive Alastair Rhodes applauded Get Smart's efforts to tackle such difficult issues in our community.

"Working with our region's youth to try and change attitudes and reduce dependence on alcohol and drugs will ultimately benefit us all, and help make our community a safer place."

Mr Rhodes said BayTrust believes the best way to support organisations such as Get Smart is to help fund their ongoing operating costs.

"That helps take the pressure off and allows them to focus on what they do best - providing great services for our young people. Most other funding bodies do not fund this area, preferring to give grants for specific projects only.

"We're happy to be able to support groups like this who are delivering our vision of strong, healthy and vibrant communities."

A total of $463,000 was granted to 25 different community groups (including Get Smart) in BayTrust's latest round of applications which are granted every three months.