Dundee leads the way for Scotland as the first city in Scotland to implement the Icelandic model. As stated by The Courier “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.”

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

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.”

“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?”