Dechrau Newydd visits Ysgol Aberconwy

Dechrau Newydd’s service manager Tony Ormond and resilience worker Zoe Free have been doing just that, working closely with schools in the Conwy area.

The pair delivered a talk, joined by North Wales Police, British Transport Police and 160 engaged pupils from Ysgol Aberconwy. The powerful talk looked at addiction, County Lines & the impact of drug use on families in the community. Ysgol Conwy shared some powerful feedback on the event, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to cascade positive change…

Tony, Zoe and Jane came to speak to our year 12 and 13 students for two hours. 
the presentation was gripping and relevant, engaging our students throughout. The presentations were personal and raw in a way that teaching staff are not able to be in terms of experiences and relationships, and as a result they connected with our students on this issue in a way that we cannot. 

I watched the faces of the students I have concerns about during the sessions and could see them really perk up at times where the content resonated with them. One student in particular was in a damaging relationship with her partner who uses Cannabis heavily. I watched how this student stared open mouthed at Jane’s account of her experiences. In the week since, the student has taken the independent decision to leave this relationship. While I can not say for certain that the presentation was the reason, I can say with confidence that the presentation brought to light how things could turn out and what was at risk. It definitely helped. It has also made these challenging conversations easier as we have a direct point of reference on so many issues. 

I cannot recommend this session highly enough, and would like to have the three of them back to speak to more of our students each year. 

I cannot thank Tony, Zoe and Jane enough.