A unique Mayo Junior Certificate Results Night Group (MJCRNG ), the only one of its kind in the country, is helping to keep teenagers safer when they head out to celebrate their Junior Certificate results.
With 1,700 Mayo students receiving their Junior Certificate results next Wednesday, the MJCRNG revealed they have reduced arrests amongst students celebrating exam results by 88 per cent.
Since the group’s inception two years ago, arrests, searches or interviews for public drunkenness, possession or alcohol related assaults on the Junior Certificate night out have practically disappeared across Mayo.
In 2011, the year before the MJCRNG started its work, 17 teenagers ended their Junior Cert nights out with an arrest by the gardaí.
In 2012, this reduced to zero and last year there were just two instances recorded – a massive reduction of over 88 per cent.
The MJCRNG urged parents to work with them to help keep these students safe next week.
“The junior certificate exam is a major milestone for teenagers across the county and, of course, such a big event should be celebrated with friends,” said Pat Conway, Mayo community liaison worker with the Western Region Drugs Task Force (WRDTF ).
“Parents should have an honest and open chat with their children about how they intend to celebrate the end of the exams next week and the risks with drinking alcohol at such a young age,” he continued. “Parents are the most important influence on their children’s attitudes to drink.”
Last May, the MJCRNG distributed an information pack called Teenage Years: A parents guide to protecting your teenager on a night out.
Since the start of school this September, the group has been visiting schools throughout the county, meeting with classes and talking to them about how they can have a memorable night out without alcohol.
The MJCRNG is made up of members of An Garda Siochana, the Western Region Drugs Task Force (WRDTF ), South West Mayo Development Company and the ISPCC.
