3.10 Social Activities

What is Schoolies Week?        

If you are an international student attending high school in Australia you will hear a lot of talk about “Schoolies Week” which refers to the Australian tradition of high-school graduates (known as "Schoolies" or "Leavers") having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December.

Official schoolies events, which are drug and alcohol free, are held at many schoolies destinations, they include concerts, dances and parties. For all official events, attendees are required to be a registered schoolie and present schoolie ID on entry. This schoolies ID, which at some locations includes a photo, is given to schoolies upon registering, which requires the presentation of current school ID and incurs a small fee. At many destinations, the official events are held in fenced-off areas or in nightclubs to prevent the infiltration of toolies ("too old for schoolies") and to maintain crowd control. Some events are free while others (often those held at nightclubs) incur an entry fee.

If you are a school leaver and choose to be a part of schoolies celebrations, here are some good safety tips to keep in mind:

• Stay with friends and don't take chances. Remember there is safety in numbers. 
• Plan ahead with your friends. Work out how you will share costs and how you will look out for each other. 
• Book your own accommodation - don't expect that you can just stay with friends.  
• Know where you are staying and how to get there. 
• Before you go out, have a plan for getting home and tell someone where you are going. 
• Negotiate a designated driver at the beginning of the evening and support them in their decision not to drink. During the week, take turns to be the designated driver. 
• Stay clear of a driver who has been drinking or using drugs. 
• Ask an official volunteer to walk you home if you are alone — don't walk home at night alone. 

• Always keep enough money for a phone call, taxi or public transport. 
• Stranger danger still exists for adults — don't accept lifts from anyone you don't know, and don’t stay at a stranger's place. 
• Don't swim at night and don't swim at all if you are intoxicated.