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Inspired by the pioneering Icelandic Planet Youth initiative, S3 and S4 pupils from four secondary schools in the city have taken part in a survey aimed at helping to shape improvements to children's lives.

It is aimed at helping to focus efforts to improve young people's health, wellbeing and relationships.

The Icelandic capital Reykjavik has a similar population to Dundee.

Around 25 years ago, it had a similar problem with drink and drugs. Furthermore, in 1998, 42% of teenagers in Iceland were regularly drinking.

More than two decades on, that figure has dropped dramatically to around 6%.

Youngsters in Iceland were given free access to activities like sport, music and drama. But the success started with a simple, anonymous survey of school pupils.

Zahra Hedges, CEO of the charity Winning Scotland said: "We are delighted to be working with Dundee City Council and their partners on this approach, which focuses on using insight from teenagers to help create better environments for younger children to grow up in.

"Similar approaches in Iceland and elsewhere have led to a huge and sustained reduction in risk taking behaviour, and an increase in young people feeling healthier, happier and safer.

"This pilot is an important part of ensuring that this approach will work for children and families here in Scotland too."

In 2023, the Scottish Government invested £1.5m over two years in Planet Youth in Scotland to test the model and build capacity for using data insight to drive preventative action locally.

Dundee is currently one of six pilot areas in the country.

Kirsty Small, headteacher at St Paul's RC Academy told STV News: "The reason it's going to make such a change is (that) young people are going to feel heard and that's what's important.

"They will feel that they're part of the change, that they're leading that change and that they are in fact going to be the policy makers."

Councillor Stewart Hunters, the council's children, families and communities convener said: "The council and other agencies are using this data to focus efforts on how we can increase protective factors for these young people and reduce risks for them.

"I am pleased to see that Dundee's strong partnerships are well represented at this event and that our pupils' voices are being heard.

"They are the future of this city, and we need to support them in the face of the many challenges of life today.

"I know that the organisations involved in this Planet Youth event are committed to doing all they can to help our young people."

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Project that reduced teenage drinking and drug taking in Iceland trialled in Dundee

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There are currently six pilot areas in Scotland taking part in the Planet Youth initiative.

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Teenagers across Dundee have made their voices heard as the findings of a pioneering initiative aimed at helping tackle the city's drugs crisis are revealed.

Since 2021, Dundee secondary school pupils have been taking part in the Planet Youth model - a community-based approach aiming to deter young people's substance use.

The model was first developed in Iceland over 20 years ago and has since been adapted in more than 30 countries around the world.

Dundee was one of six areas chosen to be part of a pilot looking at how it could be implemented in Scotland.

This involved S3 and S4 pupils filling out an anonymous survey in order to gather information about young people's health and wellbeing.

Alcohol most commonly used substance

Around 1,300 pupils from four city schools - Baldragon Academy, St Paul's Academy, Harris Academy and St John's High School - took part in the latest survey last October.

It revealed that amongst teenagers across the city, alcohol is the most commonly used substance - followed by tobacco and cannabis. The use of vapes and e-cigs also continues to rise.

However, there were low reported rates of other substance use.

The survey's findings also highlighted that young people expressed low feelings of safety outwith their home, as well as low levels of self-esteem and self-respect.

There is also an increase in young people accessing pornography, in addition to low levels of sexual health education received at home, school and in the community.

Survey gave pupils 'safe space'

The idea behind the survey is find out what the pupils feel is needed, or perhaps missing, in the local community.

St Paul's Academy headteacher Kirsty Small is among those who are now looking at the findings to see what more can be done to help young people.

She said: "We have a passion and drive for things to change within on our own community and, as a Catholic school, we also have the opportunity to reach others across Dundee.

"The main takeaways for us were the importance of youth voice and really listening to what they had to say.

"The surveys gave the pupils a safe space to be honest and open and judging from the responses we got, we felt that they were.

"And they are responding well because we are saying we've heard them and here's what we are going to do."

The Scottish Government has invested £1.5million over two years in the Planet Youth initiative to test the model and build capacity for using data insight to drive preventative action locally.

It's hoped the Planet Youth model will eventually be rolled to all secondary schools in Dundee.

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Dundee pupils deliver 'open and honest' response in Planet Youth substance abuse pilot programme

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Teenagers across Dundee have made their voices heard as the findings of pioneering initiative aimed at tackling the drugs crisis are revealed.

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Baldragon Academy pupils hope to lead the way in a new initiative aimed at helping tackle Dundee's drugs crisis.

The Kirkton school is set to be one of the first in Scotland involved in the Planet Youth model, a community-based approach aiming to deter young people's substance use.

The model was first developed in Iceland over 20 years ago and has since been adapted in more than 30 countries around the world.

It's now to be introduced in Scotland for the first time and the Dundee pupils are at the forefront of the roll-out.

What is Planet Youth?

Also known as the Youth in Iceland Model, the approach aims to strengthen links between schools and communities, as well as encourage parents to spend quality time with their children.

A key component is information about young people's health and wellbeing, including substance use, which is gathered through anonymous surveys distributed in schools.

Data from the survey is then analysed to find out what the pupils feel is needed, or perhaps missing, in the local community - such as sports or theatre clubs.

At Baldragon, it is planned that pupils in S3 and S4 will take part in the survey.

Headteacher Hugh McAninch said: "The opportunity is to survey our young people around their lifestyle and wellbeing to find out what their needs are in terms of improving outcomes.

"We are asking young people to tell us about their experiences and then from that work with them to put the necessary things in place that will make a difference.

"We will sit with the partners involved and our young people to talk about what the information is telling us and what we need to be thinking about."

Plans for Scotland-wide roll out

In addition to Dundee, a number of other local authorities across Scotland are taking part in the initiative and it's hoped this will lead to a widespread rollout of the project.

This is being aided by the charity Winning Scotland Foundation, which aims to build confidence and resilience in all of Scotland's young people.

Grant Small, impact and delivery manager at the charity, said: "We see this as a great opportunity to engage with schools, communities and parents.

"The survey asks quite in-depth questions about their lives, their activities after school, their alcohol intake, potential drug use."

"If we know what the young people want in the local area, we can then work with the local partners to see how we can put that in place."

Grant pointed to the success of the model in its origin country of Iceland, which has seen a significant decrease in the use of drugs and alcohol amongst its adolescent population.

But he also stressed that the Scotland approach would not be a "cut and paste job", but rather it will be adapted to suit local needs.

He said: "The success of that over the 20 year period has been phenomenal, and they have seen massive reductions in alcohol and drug use amongst young people.

"But it's important that we don't just take a project that has worked in Iceland and put it in Scotland.

"We need to contextualise it for Scottish communities, so taking what we think might fit and then helping young people."

What do the pupils think?

S6 pupils Ashley Henderson and Aiden Miller praised the model as an opportunity to "bring change" to young people's lives.

Ashley said: "I think it could be really important because it gives people the opportunity to have a say in the community around them."

"We've been chosen to kickstart it and hopefully we can help be the people to bring change to other people's lives."

"It's important for (pupils) to have input because ultimately, it's them which it will affect."

Aiden added: "The benefits would be the health and wellbeing of young people will improve, as will the community around them. That's a good thing.

"Iceland did well at the Euros (a few years back), so you could see how it can help the country. So hopefully it works well in Scotland, we will get through to the semi-finals as well!"

The Youth in Iceland Model got teens to say no to drugs - can Dundee do the same?

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From Reykjavik to Dundee: How local pupils are leading the way with Icelandic model of drug prevention

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Baldragon Academy pupils hope to lead the way in a new initiative aimed at helping tackle Dundee's drugs crisis. The Kirkton school is set to be one of

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Wellbeing Profile: Glasgow Motivation and Wellbeing Profile (GMWP)

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Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency responsible for supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education.

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Developed by young people, supported by colleagues from NHS.

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Could the Youth in Iceland Model approach to preventing young people from using drugs and alcohol help tackle Dundee's drug crisis?

That's the question posed by researchers at Stirling University who have been studying whether the Icelandic system could be introduced in the city.

The model was developed in the Nordic nation over 20 years ago and since its implementation has seen a significant reduction in substance use among teens.

The Stirling University project, led by Dr Tessa Parkes and Dr Hannah Carver and funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction, has brought together a diverse group of individuals to gain an understanding of how the model could be adapted locally.

We spoke to those involved to find out if Dundee could become the first city in the UK to adopt the Youth in Iceland model.
In the mid-1990s, Iceland had one of the worst rates of teen substance abuse in Europe.
A series of national surveys in schools reported that more than 40% of those between the age of 13 and 16 had been drunk in the past month.

It also showed that 25% had reported smoking every day and a further 17% admitted using marijuana.

Crucially, however, the surveys showed researchers the differences in the lives of those who engaged in substance use and those who did not.

What the data highlighted was a clear emergence of protective factors: participation in extracurricular activities, time spent with parents, and how they felt about schooling.

In short, the more engaged young people were with sport and other activities, and the more time they spent with their families, the less likely they were to use substances.

With this in mind, a new approach to prevention was rolled out across the country.

What is the Icelandic model?

Dubbed the Youth in Iceland Model (YiIM), the community-based approach aimed to delay young people's substance use through reducing risk factors and increasing protective ones.

It strengthened links between schools and communities, as well as encouraging parents to spend quality time with their children.

State funding was also increased for organised sport, music, art, dance and other clubs.

The results speak for themselves.

Figures show that in 2015, the rate of smoking tobacco was 46% among 15-year-olds in Europe but had dropped to 16% in Iceland; average rates of current alcohol use were 48% in Europe but 9% in Iceland; and average rates of lifetime use of cannabis substances remained at 16% in Europe, similar to 1999, but declined to 5% in Iceland.

Following its success in Iceland, the model has since been introduced in more than 30 countries around the world (under the name Planet Youth), with adaptions to suit locally specific conditions.

Now Scotland could be next - with Dundee leading the way.

A key component of the model is information about young people's health and wellbeing, including substance use, which is gathered through surveys distributed in schools.

Protective factors are then developed by the community in response to the data, and schools are encouraged to strengthen supportive networks between themselves, parents, and other community organisations.

Plans are underway to trial the survey in at least one secondary school in Dundee before potentially rolling it out to other areas of the city.

Audrey May, chief education officer at Dundee City Council, is closely involved with the project and explained how this model of prevention has the voices of young people front and centre.

"Think of it like a customer satisfaction survey," she said.

"It's about the choices they make around leisure time, how much they are involved in activities, how much screen time they have, sleep patterns, etc."

"And of course, have they begun to experiment with tobacco, alcohol and other substances?

"We get an idea of what they are doing and where we can support them to make different choices that will help them to lead happy, healthy lives."

Creating a support network

Working closely with Audrey on the project is Sarah Anderson, education support officer for health and wellbeing at Dundee City Council.

For Sarah, the YiIM is less about reiterating the dangers of drugs and alcohol to young people but rather giving them the tools to make better decisions by finding out what services the city is lacking.

She said: " We need to be really honest about what we are doing around drug use and its prevention.

"I'm sure if you talk to young people, they will be able to tell you the dangers of smoking or drinking alcohol.

"So this model is about building on that existing knowledge and developing their skills so they are supported in their decision making and they have a wider support network."

What could be missing from Dundee's version of the YiIM model?

One element of the YiIM is that 50,000 króna (around £300) is given to every family for extracurricular activities in the form of a leisure card.

The grant is an important aspect of the model, allowing kids to access activities in their area without fear of cost.

However, there is currently no funding for this in Dundee.

The city has no comprehensive directory of sport and other activities, and available services are described as "disjointed".

One thing that does currently exist is the infrastructure needed to implement the project, and key to the success of the YiIM in Dundee, is finding a way to utilise this.

Audrey said: "If you look at what's available in Dundee in terms of opportunities for young people, there's so much for them to be engaged with.

"Let's be honest though, the barrier is around the cost.

"It's not about suddenly making everything free, but rather how we charge for some of these opportunities and how we change that. Is there a different way to fund that to make it more accessible?"

Getting young people to abstain from drugs and alcohol is a challenge faced by every generation, but previous campaigns have perhaps fallen short of the mark.

Is it not worth trying for this generation of young people so that they don't become the next set of statistics going forward?"

Audrey May, Dundee City Council

"We can't keep doing what we have always done and maybe we have to admit that it's not worked as well we would've wanted it to," Audrey said.

"Here's a different approach. Is it not worth trying for this generation of young people so that they don't become the next set of statistics going forward?"

What does the research say?

What the statistics show is that early use of drugs dramatically increases the risk of lifelong substance use disorder.

One study revealed teens who initiate drug use before the age of 14 are at greatest risk for substance dependence and have a 34% prevalence rate of lifetime substance use.

Someone who has faced the torment of a loved one's drug addiction is Dundee grandmother, Pat Tyrie.

"It's a devastating experience," she says.

"You lose your child to substance use and you can spend 20-odd years of angst trying to help them.

"My child is a lovely person, but you have lost that person. They haven't had a life really and there's huge disappointment around where that might've gone.

"The distress that it causes, in the moment and the long term, is almost unbearable if you were to think about it."

You lose your child to substance use and you can spend 20-odd years of angst trying to help them."

Grandmother Pat Tyrie, of Dundee Drugs Commission

It's her personal experience that led to Pat becoming a member of Dundee Drugs Commission, an independent group tasked with considering what more can be done to turn around the rate of drug deaths in Dundee.

Through the commission, she has also become involved in the discussions around how the YiIM could work in the city; something she dubs an 'application of common sense'.

She said: "During one of our meetings I became aware of this model that was happening in Iceland. I read an article about it and thought, why are we not doing this?

"It seemed pretty straight forward. They've used this model, developed it over 20 years and had a massive reduction in the number of young people who are engaging in substance use."

In essence, the YiIM is a collective attempt to help solve a problem whose ripple effect is felt by services across the whole community.

Figures from NHS Tayside show that between 2012 and 2017, there were more than 7,500 admissions to emergency departments in the region for drug overdoses.

The majority of these were aged between 21 and 30.

There are problems, too, with drug paraphernalia being inappropriately disposed of in Dundee and more than 600 needles were found in the city in 2019 alone.

This has led to the local council having to form a drugs related litter group to deal with the issue.

My child is a lovely person, but you have lost that person."

Pat Tyrie

So if public services are already bearing the brunt of the adverse effects of substance misuse, can they also be at the forefront of its solution?

Pat said: "On an individual level, you don't want your child to use drugs. On a community level, you don't want children using drugs - nobody wants it.

"So I think it's healthy for a city to be involved with the provision of extra-circular activities for its young people.

"Make community centres available to young people, make transport available to young people.

"We need parental involvement, but they need to be supported by the wider structure of our society which is our local and national government."

Dundee 'drug death capital of Europe'

Dundee is currently in the grips of a drugs crisis.

Figures published last year show that deaths in the city from drug-related causes rose from 66 in 2018 to 72 in 2019.

The city also has the worst drug death rate in Scotland at an average of 0.36 per 1,000 of the population over the past five years.

There are alarming figures, too, about substance use among teenagers.

One report, which went before a council committee last December, showed more than 40% of young people aged between 11 and 15 in the city have reported using substances in the previous 12 months.

Two people who have been on the front-line of this crisis are Dave Barrie, service manager at addiction support charity We Are With You, and Simon Little, chair of the Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership (DADP).

"For me, one of the strengths is that at the heart of the model is the young people," Dave said.

"You are having a collective group of people, including parents and schools, around the table to really start to understand what the young people are saying right now about their health and wellbeing and substance misuse.

"They tell us what is going on and then groups of adults with them start to understand and analyse that to see where the focus needs to be."

Much of the focus of Dundee's drug problem has been on the increasing number of fatal overdoses in the city and how best to reverse this trend.

But as Simon explains, even if authorities are successful in tackling this in the short term, the impact of these deaths will continue to be felt for years to come.

He said: "The drug deaths are one indicator of the challenges we have in the city and the fact they have been going in the wrong direction has to be an alarm bell for all of us.

"Putting out that particular fire is vital, but we will also have difficulties down the line unless we are mindful of the trauma those deaths are creating for the city as a whole.

"We know that when children have adverse childhood experiences they are more likely to have difficulties in the future, so with the challenges the city currently has, the time to act is now."

Tackling the root causes

Indeed, research in the US shows that of adolescents receiving treatment for substance abuse, more than 70% had a history of trauma exposure.

It's also been found that up to 59% of young people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subsequently develop substance abuse problems.

That's why the DADP has made tackling the root causes of substance misuse one of its 12 strategic priorities, and why models of prevention such as the YiIM can be crucial to helping prevent future generations from falling into the cycle of drug abuse.

Simon said: "In the short term, it's actually quite difficult for people to make the leap of faith and say what we are doing now will be so important to change things in 10 or 20 years' time.

"There is often a bias towards firefighting versus long term strategies, but we could potentially reap the damage with the next generation with the problems we have now.

"So, I'm keen to see [the YiIM] not just as a silo for tacking drug problems but something to support future generations.

"If rolled out across the city I think it will have positive impacts that go well beyond tackling substance use concerns."

Dave added: "We are trying to save lives out there - those in their 30s or 40s who have been traumatised and have gone through real challenges in life.

"If you start to create a generation of young people that are engaged and motivated, I believe in 10 or 15 years Scotland is in a very different position that it is in now."

For more information on the YiIM and the Stirling University project on how it could work in Dundee, visit the SSA's dedicated website.

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The Youth in Iceland Model got teens to say no to drugs - can Dundee do the same?

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Dundee could be the first city in the UK to adopt the successful Youth in Icelandic Model to tackle drug and alcohol abuse among young people.

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Working with the community to improve the lives of Scotland's young people

We're driving forward with Planet Youth because we want our young people to feel supported, connected, healthy, and confident in their ability to make positive decisions. And ultimately, we want to see a reduction in the use of and harm from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and all the associated benefits that can come from that.

This is an excellent and brave idea! A lot of these aspirations fit well with my own and how the community could help young people.

The first surveys were completed in 2021. 1,827 pupils from across the 13 schools, were asked about their health and mental wellbeing, revealing a number of needs and challenges, including:

Young people who haven't had these kinds of experiences are 20% less likely to use alcohol and cannabis.

You can learn more about the general background of Planet Youth below:

​

The findings highlight the desire for higher prioritisation of universal primary prevention activities in Scotland, driven by concerns about high rates of substance use and related harms, and a general lack of effective and evidence based prevention activities across the country. There was support for the IM [Icelandic Model] as long as it was culturally appropriate and properly funded. Participants were clear that if the IM were introduced in Scotland, it would need to be piloted in several areas first.

​

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Find out more about Planet Youth in Scotland and how it aims to make a difference to all of our young people across the country.

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Working with Planet Youth - Dr. Pall Rikhardsson

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Working with Planet Youth - Dr. Pall Rikhardsson

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Dr. Pall Rikhardsson: Working with Planet Youth.

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Introduction to Planet Youth - Jón Sigfúson

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Introduction to Planet Youth - Jón Sigfúson

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Jon Sigfusson: Introduction to Planet Youth.

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Planet Youth data collection - Dr. Ingibjörg Eva Þórisdóttir

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Planet Youth data collection - Dr. Ingibjörg Eva Þórisdóttir

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2 - Data Collection - Ingibjorg Thorisdottir

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Planet Youth school implementation guide

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Planet Youth school implementation guide

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Coalition Building Workshop - Robin Katrick

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Coalition Building Workshop - Robin Katrick

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Coalition building:  Robin Katrick,  Advisory Manager at Planet Youth.

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National Delivery Partner of Planet Youth in Scotland

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​Planet Youth in Scotland is a community partnership approach, led by Winning Scotland, that will help us learn more about what is needed to keep our young people safe, healthy and happy.
Planet Youth originated in Iceland in the 1990s, and has since been used all over the world to improve the lives of children.

In Iceland, Planet Youth instigated a huge drop in teenage drinking and smoking, increased physical activity levels and supported families to spend more time together - leading to young people in Iceland being labelled ' the cleanest living teens in Europe'.

The programme involves running surveys with secondary school pupils to take a snapshot of teenage life in their local area. The surveys are confidential and ask the pupils about their school and home life and how they spend their free time - including whether they use drugs and alcohol. The surveys also ask pupils about activities they would like to do at school or in their local area.

Local groups and services then work together to address the needs and issues raised by the pupils in the surveys.

​By listening to local children about how they spend their time, the issues they face and what they are interested in, we believe Planet Youth in Scotland can help us learn how to help all young people in Scotland to become ambitious, versatile and resilient.

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​Planet Youth in Scotland is a community partnership approach, led by Winning Scotland, that will help us learn more about what is needed to keep our young people safe, healthy and happy. Planet...

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Viability study of Planet Youth in Dundee

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Viability study of Planet Youth in Dundee

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As part of the Youth in Iceland project, a 30 minute documentary film was produced to outline the reasons for exploring the Planet Youth approach and to follow the process of the group's enquiry, including a trip to Iceland. The title of the film is 'Dundee and the Youth in Iceland Model' by Lonnie Wright.

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The Youth in Iceland Model (YiIM, also known as 'Planet Youth') is a community-based approach aiming to prevent young people's substance use through reducing risk factors and increasing protective factors. The key components are parents, organised extracurricular/recreational activities, schools, and involvement of young people.

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Research paper - viability of YiIM in Dundee

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Research paper - viability of YiIM in Dundee

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How might the 'Youth in Iceland Model' for preventing substance use among young people be developed and adapted for use in Dundee, Scotland?

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01/08/2019-30/06/2021. Funded by Society for the Study of Addiction. Total award value: £29,969.00