Lifting the lid on drug and alcohol use and abuse

Why do people drink alcohol or take drugs? Why do some people do it to the point of it being a problem – to themselves, to their family, their friends and to our whole society? Why don’t people with drug or alcohol problems do something about it, pull themselves into line?  How can we help them?

This new website  does not look at drugs themselves – an ever-growing wide variety of them – nor does it deal with the specifics of specialised treatments. Rather, the hope is that anyone – perhaps a young teenager who is wondering whether to start drinking or smoking, or someone who is already a casual or habitual user, or is even an addict – will find the information on this site to be simple to understand, sensible and useful. And not only the users but also the parents and other concerned family members and friends, and trainee counsellors. Go to website

19 Feb 2015

NSW youth workers set to receive mental health training

Youth workers across NSW will receive training to help improve their skills in dealing with young people with mental health issues. The $250,000 plan will be coordinated by peak body Mental Health First Aid Australia (MHFA), and funded by the NSW Government. The training will provide youth workers with the skills and confidence to recognise the symptoms of common mental health problems. They will also be trained to respond effectively. See more

19 Feb 2015

NMC Horizon report: 2015 higher education edition

The NMC Horizon Report > 2015 Higher Education Edition is a collaborative effort between the NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI). This 12th edition describes annual findings from the NMC Horizon Project, an ongoing research project designed to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have an impact on learning, teaching, and creative inquiry in education. Six key trends, six significant challenges, and six important developments in educational technology are identified across three adoption horizons over the next one to five years, giving campus leaders and practitioners a valuable guide for strategic technology planning. The report aims to provide these leaders with more in-depth insight into how the trends and challenges are accelerating and impeding the adoption of educational technology, along with their implications for policy, leadership and practice. Download report

19 Feb 2015

Senate Examines Youth Living in Aged Care

The national Senate inquiry investigating young people with disability living in residential aged care had its first public hearing in Perth on Tuesday. The inquiry has so far received 38 written submissions from individuals, families of people with disabilities and Not for Profit organisations. The first day of the Senate Inquiry was told that six thousand young Australians with disabilities are living in aged care homes nationally with people as young as 23 are being housed in some aged care facilities.   The inquiry’s report is due mid-year and will make specific recommendations to COAG and to the Joint Parliamentary Standing Committee on the NDIS, which is reviewing the implementation of the NDIS.  See more

19 Feb 2015

Griffin Accelerator returns for start-ups with $300,000 seed funding pool

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has launched the 2015 intake for the Canberra-based Griffin Accelerator program, with applications open from now until May 1.

Griffin Accelerator chief executive Craig Davis stated that a key differentiator for the accelerator is that all the mentors are also equity contributing investors. Shortlisted applicants with pitch their ideas in Canberra on May 7, and following a due diligence process, this year’s participants will be announced in late May, with the core three-month program kicking off in late June. The pitching event at the end of last year’s program ended up producing 45 expressions of interest from Sydney and Canberra, and Davis promises there’s big news in the pipeline for some of the graduates. bit.ly/1JqfFSg

19 Feb 2015