A program for all Ararat primary schools began this year called GRADES6 (Grampians Region Approach to Drug Education Services). This program focuses on the possible health and well-being issues that grade six students and their parents are concerned about, and what may impact them or their child in the transition from grade six into year seven and throughout the following school years.

The program is being facilitated as a joint partnership between the four local primary schools, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (Melanie Stones); Grampians Community Health Centre (Rachel Whittaker and Kristy Price), Northern Grampians Police Youth Resource Officer (Paul Kelly) and Community Development worker Loki McIntyre.

The project aims to:

* Allow grade six students an opportunity to explore issues and related options that may affect them in their secondary school and teenage years.

* Give parents an opportunity to gain insight and information into health/ wellbeing and social issues that young people have identified as being potential concerns.

* To give parents and their children the opportunity to start discussing potential risks young people may face throughout their teenage years.

* Introduce parents and students to information and strategies that will assist young people to effectively navigate their way through the transition from primary to secondary school.

Throughout the year students have been involved in building relationships with workers through games and activities; developing a graffiti board which identified issues the students feel will affect them in the transition to secondary school; and developing presentations looking at why they think the identified topics will be an issue and what the preventive strategies may be.