The Ultimate Party Pact

So you’re having a party! If you don’t want a bunch of strangers showing up, getting wasted, trashing your home, starting fights or generally acting like jerks, you need The Ultimate Party Pact.

How many times have you heard of a party that started out small and fun but ended up massive, dangerous and no fun at all?

Here are some things that have happened in Grey Bruce or near by:

• house was wrecked - $30,000 dollars
• 14 year old taken to hospital with alcohol poisoning
• young girl sexually assaulted
• parents found liable for drunk driver’s injury - $2,500,000.00

The Ultimate PARTY PACT is made up of two parts. Part one will help parents and youth start conversations about planning safe house parties. Part two involves parents and police services. If parents are planning to be away over night, or on an extended vacation, a Police Authorization to Enter Dwelling Form can be signed to give police the authority to enter the family home in the absence of the parents and control teen parties before they go wrong.

Programs like this have worked with Peel Regional Police since the 1980’s and a similar program called Party Smart was launched in Sault Ste Marie by the Focus Coalition and their police services partners in 1998. Party Smart helped parents and youth start conversations about how to host a safe and smart party and prevent parties from going wrong.

The Focus Project of Owen Sound and Brockton, the Grey Bruce Health Unit and Grey Bruce Police Services launched The Ultimate PARTY PACT in 2002 and are pleased to remind parents and youth to pick up a copy today!

The Ultimate PARTY PACT is a brightly coloured booklet that guides parents and teenagers through conversations about house rules or house policies for safe and smart party planning in the family home. For example:

• Do you know how your friends are getting home?
• How will you handle pressure to try alcohol, drugs, smoking?
• Where will you serve non-alcoholic beverages for the designated driver?

The Ultimate Party Pact helps parents and youth set clear rules about smoking, alcohol and drugs, before the party starts. It also helps parents and youth negotiate how many people can come to the party.

The second part of the PARTY PACT brochure invites parents to work with police services across Grey and Bruce Counties. By using the Police Authorization to Enter Dwelling Form, parents can rest more easily knowing that they have a signed agreement with their local police services to intervene should a party go wrong in their absence.

Think about using the Ultimate PARTY PACT before you leave on your winter vacation this year. Get an Ultimate PARTY PACT brochure and start conversations with your teenagers about planning safe and smart parties as soon as possible. Think about filling out a Police Authorization to Enter Dwelling form at your nearest police services detachment and relax while vacationing or visiting away from your home.

The PARTY PACT brochure will be available for pick up at all Grey Bruce travel agencies, police services and the Grey Bruce Health Unit located both in Owen Sound and Walkerton.

For further information call Public Health Unit at 376-9420.