Evaluation of Sammy D Foundation's Public Health Intervention Program

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Sammy D Foundation, a public health intervention based in Adelaide, Australia, focusing on violence prevention and alcohol and drug education. It begins with a background context, detailing the foundation's mission, vision, and target audience. The main body critically evaluates the planning, resourcing, and implementation processes of the foundation's programs, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses. The report then assesses the impact of the Sammy D Foundation on the health behavior and status of individuals, discussing successes and limitations. Furthermore, it identifies opportunities for the foundation to expand its reach and address existing barriers. The report concludes with a summary of the intervention's effectiveness and potential for future development. The report examines the foundation's programs like True Colours, which have been successful in educating youth and adults regarding the impact of drug and alcohol misuse and violence. It also highlights the challenges the foundation faces, such as limited geographical reach and resistance to change among those with addiction. The analysis emphasizes the importance of the foundation's work in promoting safer choices and building a healthier community.

PUBLIC HEALTH
EDUCATION
INTERVENTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Background Context of Intervention...........................................................................................3
Critical Evaluation of the processes related to planning, resourcing and implementation of
intervention..................................................................................................................................4
Critical Evaluation of the impact of Sammy D Foundation on the health behaviour and health
status of people............................................................................................................................6
Critical review of the wider intervention for the growth of Sammy D Foundation....................8
Summary of the intervention.......................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Community Health Education Interventions are focussed towards providing education to
the people in order to promote awareness regarding certain topics. There are many such
intervention programmes organized for the people in order to make them educated about those
topics which must be focussed upon in order to live a healthy and safe life (Lewis, Russo &
Smith, 2018). The community supported health education intervention is generally an initiative
taken by the locality or the regional area.
This report will describe the effectiveness of various programmes developed by Sammy D
Foundation (based in Adelaide, Australia) whose main purpose is to educate the people of all
age group regarding the violence due to misusing of drug and alcohol (Shaping lives, changing
futures, 2019). The description will further evaluate the ways in which foundation decides the
targeted people, plans, resource and implement the interventions. Furthermore, its impacts on the
health behaviour and health status will be highlighted along with some suggestions which can
help the foundation to increase its scope to wider interventions.
MAIN BODY
Background Context of Intervention
The Sammy D Foundation was initiated by a family in Adelaide which aims at educating
people regarding the bullying and violence prevention along with alcohol and other dug
education. It has educated about 140981 people since 2008 (Sammy D Foundation, 2010). It
organizes various programs in order to aware the people about the impact of bullying and alcohol
fuelled violence. The foundation has covered almost many schools, sporting clubs, many
individuals from the community and workplaces as well.
Its vision is “shaping lives, changing futures”. Its mission is to provide information to most of
the people in the nation about the violence due to consumption of drug and alcohol (Shaping
lives, changing futures, 2019). It ensures that the information is delivered to the appropriate age
group through various tools and programs. It also empowers young minds to make positive
decisions in life to contribute towards a better community.
In this noble initiative, the foundation also values courage in the adverse times, inclusion of all
people, respectful relationships that can be built on trust. Its main aim is to reduce the youth
crime in South Australia and raise awareness regarding the behaviour which causes harm. The

foundation has observed many families coming together, positive relationships and various
opportunities to the people after being a part of this foundation. It also follows all the traditional
custodians of the nation. It targets the people of Australia irrespective of their age as it believes
that people of every age must be aware of the extent of impact the drugs and alcohol have on the
people even it can take the life of a person who consumes and others (Caputo, 2019).
The intervention is having an effective team including Board of Management, Executive
Director, General Manager and many more mentors, leaders etc. The team is further extending
itself by recruiting the students who know the ways to live life positively and wishes to help
those who does not have guidance and the skills to avoid dangerous situations (Stevens, 2019).
The people are recruited in the program because the family and the friends of Sam Davis wanted
that there must be more number of mentors who could support them in motivating others to make
positive decisions in life. The main reason behind recruiting the positive people is that they can
share their experience in much better way by being a role model and a model of inspiration to
others.
Critical Evaluation of the processes related to planning, resourcing and implementation of
intervention
The Sammy D Foundation was initiated by family and friends of a 17-year-old boy, Sam
Davis who lost his life by a one-punch incident in 2008 at a party. The family and friends didn't
want the same to happen to anyone (Swann and et.al., 2018).
Planning: Based on this experience, they initiated this foundation by using a program which is
built on information regarding the choices that young minds can make in order to live a happier
life. Program made is very flexible, consisting of various sessions, workshops and even
mentoring. The program needed a sufficient capital, resources and the mentors to provide the
education regarding the incident (Mbugua, Mang'eli and Ragui, 2019). The family arranged all
these and began with various workshops at different location in South Australia. They used
online (Social Networking Sites, online platforms where people ask helps in terms of motivation
and guidance) as well as offline modes (mouth publicity, friends) to attract the people.
Initially, the program targeted the people of age group 12-17 who are at the risk of facing the
consequences due to unsafe choices. In the program, the 2 or 3 presenters who were Sam's

friends were ready to share the experience and also the impact that can change the life of people
leaving behind the person in grief, anger and even the loss of their loved one (Perry, Boyle and
Wessely, 2016). The main aim of the program was to make aware about the consequences of
violence, alcohol and drugs on the decision-making. The people must know that they have to
make safe choices especially in public and private places. In all the processes of the planning, the
positive point was their noble aim and the negative point was the lack of resources, mentors,
venue and the capital.
Resourcing: The program got a registration of 50 people which was less than expected. So, the
family and friends got nervous that their initiative will not give the outcomes as expected. The
main reason behind this was the venue and the less number of presenters. The family didn't have
various people in the program initially to share their experience. Though the program was to be
held at all the regions of Adelaide but it was not able to attract more number of people at the
initial stage (Lahariya, 2018).
The family and friends were not having enough money at once but still managed to arrange the
capital in order to organize the workshops. Large amount was needed for the presentation by 2-3
presenters, youth development workshops, mentoring and many other expenses (Pilgrim,
Dorward and Drummer, 2017). The decision was also supported by Department for Education in
form of funding to deliver subsidized programs to various schools. After all, the resources and
the capital were arranged and the family and friends were one step ahead to achieve their goal.
Implementation: In order to implement all the processes in various programs, the dynamic and
energetic youth were chosen as mentors in order to provide the training. On the contrary, the
main thing which helped them was their flexible structures of programs. The mentors started
giving the guidance to the people instead of educating them in group (Bunjo and et.al., 2020). It
helped them to found a foundation named Sammy D Foundation whose founder, Neil Davis was
the dad of the person who lost his life because of one-punch from other person consuming drug
and alcohol. He was the keynote speaker in all the programs as no one other than him can
explain the situation in a much better way. The friends and many other people supported the
foundation in terms of funding and mentoring. Mentors spend an hour a week and more if

necessary for guiding the young people through various activities, and motivating them to
develop positive skills which can help in building a sense of community belonging.
Various programmes were organized which gave confidence to Sam's family and others who
supported the foundation. The programmes also followed Response to Abuse and Neglect
(RAN).
The foundation was extended by promoting awareness to the people of all the ages in various
schools, sporting clubs, workplaces and community regarding Bullying Prevention Education,
Violence Prevention Education and Alcohol and other drugs education (Bublitz and et.al., 2020).
Till now, the foundation has given education regarding the same to almost 140981 people in
South Australia.
Critical Evaluation of the impact of Sammy D Foundation on the health behaviour and health
status of people
Sammy D Foundation organized various programs since 2008 when it was founded with
the team of 4 to 5 people and now has a vast team of many people having their own
responsibilities and roles which contribute greatly to achieve the objective of the foundation
(Sammy D Foundation, 2019).
Success: The aim of educating the youth regarding the impact of violence and the consequences
it has on the perpetrators, bystanders, families, friends, victims and all the people in the
community was achieved as the foundation launched a new program every year and targeted
large number of audience which was growing every year. In 2018, recently bullying and violence
prevention curriculum program was launched named as True Colours which faced a great
success (Clark, Augoustinos and Malin, 2017). The impact of the foundation was seen as most of
the participants started involving their parents in the planning process of parties. Some felt that
they were able to make safer choices after attending the programs of Sammy D Foundation.
Some committed that they were involved in bullying and violent actions and confessed to not
repeat the same again. The programmes launched by the foundation are mentioned in the figure
below:

As it was growing, it changed the target audience from young people to the people of all age
groups. The programs also educate the parents regarding their behavioural impact and positive
role modelling towards their children. It also motivated the parents and the students to organize
safer parties. The impact of the foundation was evident in most of the parties where there was no
consumption of alcohol and drugs. It also influenced the behaviour of majority of the people
towards their life (Ryan, O’Farrelly and Ramchandani, 2017). The targeted people started
making positive decisions and became hopeful which helped them in using various opportunities
coming to them.
Limitation: The foundation was facing a rapid success by motivating more number of people to
make positive and good decision in life which does not harm themselves and others. But still it
had some limitations like it is only extended to the people of South Australia. It does not have
geographical barriers but it is only providing its education to people in certain regions. It
organizes all its sessions and programs offline by meeting the people in group and in person
(Richter and et.al., 2017). The Sammy D foundation does not have its online presence to give the
coaching. The youngsters in every country are facing the risks of consuming drugs and alcohol.
So the foundation must extend its presence to the online platforms and offline in all other regions
along with South Australia (Anderson and Glover, 2017). So the people who are outside South
Illustration 1: Programmes launched by Sammy D Foundation
Source: Shaping lives, changing futures, 2019

Australia who wanted guidance and motivation regarding the positive decisions in life and to
eradicate such habits, are unaware of this intervention and its programs.
Barriers: The biggest barrier the foundation faced was resistance to change the behaviour of
people. The people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol were totally against all such
workshops. They have a negative feeling towards such interventions and had a positive feeling
towards their addiction (Tillmann and et.al., 2018). This becomes very difficult for the mentors
to communicate with them effectively and breakthrough their stable mind-set to consume alcohol
and drugs. The lack of resources including the mentors and the capital were also the barriers
which were faced by Sammy D foundation.
Opportunities: There are many opportunities for the foundation as along with the consequences
of drug and alcohol consumption, it can extend its area of focus to other such addictions which
are risking the lives of the young people in many countries. Some students get addicted to certain
games in which they assume the life of game as their real life and do everything for the game.
One such example of a game is Blue Whale; the students were getting attracted towards it as it
was their real life. They came in depression, anxiety and were losing their lives mentally and
physically. So, the foundation can also organize programmes in which they motivate the students
not to come in the trap of such addictions (Stevens, 2019). This will help the students to live
happier life and also improves the overall community.
Critical review of the wider intervention for the growth of Sammy D Foundation
The foundation is already targeting many people and motivating large number of young
minds to make positive decisions in life. The growth of the foundation can be in two ways- either
to increase its geographical area or to increase its area of focus along with drug and alcohol.
There are many things in the minds of youth that hampers the quality of their life (Shield and
et.al., 2017).
The expanding of the targeted area from South Australia to other regions can be proved helpful
as it can motivate more number of people and can improve their lives. More youngsters and their

parents can be benefited by the intervention by being motivated and positive (Reardon and et.al.,
2017).
But on the other hand, it needs a large investment and more number of presenters which will
need large funding and also the venue. This can grow the original intervention but there must be
many sources which can fund for the foundation.
Summary of the intervention
In the memory of Sam Davis, the family and the friends took the best initiative as by
planning for a foundation under which many programmes and workshops can be organized
which can help the people of every age to develop positive skills and decisions which can
improve their life and the life of others related to them (Volanen and et.al., 2020). It educates the
young minds about the impact that drugs and alcohols have on their life and to be far from these
type of addictions as they lost their son due to this. The foundation is targeting and guiding large
number of people and it can do the same with the other regions of the nations and worldwide.
There can be many lessons to be learnt from this intervention that if a person faces a loss, there
must be an initiative which does not make others to feel the same loss. For example, if a person
walking on a road is hit by a stone which was on the road, then it must be removes so that no
other person gets hit by the same. Therefore, the foundation started by the family of Sam Davis
inspire many other people to be a role model to others.
CONCLUSION
The above report described the purpose and impact of Community Health Education
intervention. It shed light on the Adelaide-based Sammy D intervention which organizes various
programmes in all the regions of South Australia to increase the awareness regarding the impacts
of bullying, violence due to drugs consumption and alcohol misuse. The foundation targeted
various people from schools, workplaces, communities and sporting clubs. The planning,
resourcing and the implementation was highlighted along with evaluating its effects on the health
status of the people. The various opportunities which the foundation use were also suggested and
the wider intervention was recommended.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Anderson, L. & Glover, D. R. (2017). Building Character, Community, and a Growth Mindset in
Physical Education: activities that promote learning and emotional and social
development. Human Kinetics.
Bublitz, M. G. & et.al., (2020). Rise Up: Understanding Youth Social Entrepreneurs and Their
Ecosystems. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 0743915620937702.
Bunjo, L.J. & et.al., 2020. Sleep Duration Moderates the Relationship Between Perceived Work-
Life Interference and Depressive Symptoms in Australian Men and Women from the
North West Adelaide Health Study. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, pp.1-
10.
Caputo, A. (2019). The experience of therapeutic community: Emotional and motivational
dynamics of people with drug addiction following rehabilitation. International Journal
of Mental Health and Addiction. 17(1). 151-165.
Clark, Y., Augoustinos, M. & Malin, M., 2017. Evaluation of the preventing lateral violence
workshop in Adelaide, South Australia: Phase two qualitative aspects. Journal of
Indigenous Wellbeing. 2(3). pp.54-66.
Lahariya, C., 2018. Strengthen mental health services for universal health coverage in
India. Journal of postgraduate medicine. 64(1). p.7.
Lewis, M. A., Russo, E. B. & Smith, K. M. (2018). Pharmacological foundations of cannabis
chemovars. Planta medica. 84(04). 225-233.
Mbugua, C., Mang'eli, S. & Ragui, M. (2019). Mentoring: A Faith Based Relational Leadership
Approach in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism in Kenya.
Perry, J., Boyle, A. & Wessely, S., 2016. The expansion of the Foundation Programme in
psychiatry. BJPsych bulletin. 40(4). pp.223-225.
Pilgrim, J. L., Dorward, R. & Drummer, O. H. (2017). Drug‐caused deaths in Australian medical
practitioners and health‐care professionals. Addiction. 112(3). 486-493.
10

Reardon, T. & et.al., 2017. What do parents perceive are the barriers and facilitators to accessing
psychological treatment for mental health problems in children and adolescents? A
systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies. European child & adolescent
psychiatry. 26(6). pp.623-647.
Richter, L.M. & et.al., 2017. Investing in the foundation of sustainable development: pathways
to scale up for early childhood development. The lancet. 389(10064). pp.103-118.
Ryan, R., O’Farrelly, C. & Ramchandani, P., 2017. Parenting and child mental health. London
Journal of Primary Care. 9(6). pp.86-94.
Shield, K. D. & et.al., (2017). Life‐time risk of mortality due to different levels of alcohol
consumption in seven European countries: implications for low‐risk drinking
guidelines. Addiction. 112(9). 1535-1544.
Stevens, A. (2019). ‘Being human’and the ‘moral sidestep’in drug policy: Explaining
government inaction on opioid-related deaths in the UK. Addictive behaviors. 90. 444-
450.
Swann, C. & et.al., 2018. Youth sport as a context for supporting mental health: Adolescent male
perspectives. Psychology of sport and exercise. 35. pp.55-64.
Tillmann, S. & et.al., 2018. Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and
teenagers: A systematic review. J Epidemiol Community Health. 72(10). pp.958-966.
Volanen, S.M. & et.al., 2020. Healthy learning mind–effectiveness of a mindfulness program on
mental health compared to a relaxation program and teaching as usual in schools: a
cluster-randomised controlled trial. Journal of affective disorders, 260, pp.660-669.
Online
Sammy D Foundation, 2010. [Online]. Available through:
<https://dlb.sa.edu.au/mentmoodle/file.php/4/21%20Sammy%20D%20Foundation.pdf>
Sammy D Foundation, 2019. [Online]. Available through: <http://www.pghs.sa.edu.au/Sammy-
D-Foundation>
11

Shaping lives, changing futures, 2019. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.sammydfoundation.org.au/about/our-purpose>
12