The ‘Blurred’ project was developed by the Youth Community Team (Hot House Finney Road), Alcohol and Drug Service, Queensland Health – a youth alcohol and other drug counselling service. The project was a health promotion activity, to engage young people in treatment to express their life stories and to develop health promotion images and messages targeted towards other high risk young people. The project was an indicated health promotion activity for high risk young people, to develop resources to support other young people, and method to incorporate health promotion initiatives within a clinical counselling service.

Sixteen young people from the Youth Community Team and Brisbane Youth Service were given cameras and asked to photograph images. Then within counselling session participants were asked to tell their story and write a narrative about their experiences of substance misuse and making changes. Art pieces were then displayed at a community art exhibition (which involved experiential learning for participants in the controlled use of alcohol), disseminated at conferences and seminars and developed into service promotional posters and photolanguage cards to be used as clinical tools.

This presentation will overview this innovative approach to health promotion, display young peoples art work, and outline the advantages of adopting a different approach to front line health promotion aimed at young people, incorporated within a clinical setting.