The Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) made the announcement on June 25 that the pilot was set to take place over two and a half years.

Planet Youth is an evidence-based program from Iceland that has significantly reduced alcohol and other drug use rates in young people.

According to Lithgow Information and Neighbourhood Centre (LINC) hub manager, Leanne Walding, Lithgow was chosen due to the current Drug Action Team.

"We have been granted the pilot because of our strong local drug action team which has developed partnerships in the community and is currently working with our schools," she said.

Ms Walding and Lithgow Drug Action Team (LDAT) community development officer Kristy Lenon travelled to Melbourne to attend a 'Prevention in Practice' conference and a workshop by ADF before participating in Planet Youth workshops.

"We also looked at the model they were presenting so we could learn how to present it to Lithgow," Ms Walding said.

According to a Planet Youth representative, between 1998 and 2018, the percentage of Iceland's year ten students who had been drunk in the past 30 days fell from 42 per cent to 5 per cent; and daily cigarette smokers dropped from 23 per cent to 2 per cent.

"The Planet Youth trial is a unique opportunity to apply international evidence to strengthen the work of Australia's local Drug Action Teams," Alcohol and Drug Foundation chief executive officer Dr Erin Lalor said.

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"The Local Drug Action Teams taking part in the trial have been selected for their strong local partnerships and commitment to preventing alcohol and drug-related harms."

Over the coming months LDAT will be implementing a program called 'Climate Schools' to over 600 students within the area.

"We have created a community survey on alcohol and other drug awareness and the expectations from the community of supporting services in the area," Ms Walding said.

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