Drug crime and the law is the latest addition to the free online teachers’ resource suite of Civics and Citizenship themes available to educators of Years 7 to 10 students, published by ACT Region Crime Stoppers this week.

Australia’s illegal drug trade is estimated to be worth $11.3 billion per year. More than 9 million people aged over 14 in Australia have illicitly used a drug at some point in their lifetime (2019 figures).

Crime Stoppers said it had worked with Australia’s leading education professionals to develop the teachers’ resource to help break the chain.

“Our latest teachers’ resource actively engages our next generation so they understand the issue and what they can do to help stop drug crime,” Greer Garrett-Meehan, Deputy Chair of ACT Region Crime Stoppers, said.

The Drug Crime and the Law theme pack provides flexible content and lesson ideas, resources, and assessments so teachers and parents can choose materials to best suit the interest and needs of their students.

There are more than 35 different links to videos, websites, apps, and worksheets within the latest pack that cover drug trafficking; drug crime and the law; knowing the signs of illegal drug manufacture, supply, and distribution; and what can I do to help?

“Everyone can play a critical role when it comes to the fight against drug crime by sharing what they know or suspect with Crime Stoppers, without the need to say who they are or get involved,” Mr Garrett-Meehan said.

“As an independent charity, Crime Stoppers is proud to have funded this unique national learning initiative, which encourages a sense of community engagement in students by increasing their potential to be informed, responsible, ethical, and active participants in society.”

The teachers’ resource was first developed and trialled in Western Australia to help make the Australian subject of Civics and Citizenship more engaging for students.

The Drug Crime and the Law theme pack is the eighth in the suite of nationally available materials, which provide flexible content and lesson ideas, resources, and assessments for teachers, who can select lesson ideas in any order to best suit the interest and needs of students.

Theme packs that are already part of the suite explore cybercrime, wildlife crime, the justice system, crime laws, law enforcement and the role of citizens in relation to crime, including how Crime Stoppers can help.

• ACT students to learn how to stop illegal trade in wildlife (12 October 2022)
• Teaching young people about cybercrime (16 August 2021)

Teachers can access the resource through Scootle, a national digital repository of teacher resources made available by Education Services Australia, as well as on the Crime Stoppers Australia website.