Interactive video previews critical late-night decisions for young people

The After Party is made by Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD to prompt discussion among senior secondary students.

Jimmy could stay in the garage for a round of beer pong, but his mates are inviting him to the burnout on the street outside. What’s your call on his next move?

This is among decisions that viewers get to decide in a new interactive video about teens, late night parties and the serious decisions they face on the way home.

The After Party has just been released during Road Safety Week by Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD, providing secondary students across Aotearoa with a new way to prompt thought and discussion – in the classroom, before real-life decisions arrive on the weekend.

The video features multiple points when viewers can click on decisions, leading to different scenarios unfolding. There are 31 scenes in all, with actors taking the parts of Jimmy and his friends.

SADD General Manager Donna Govorko says road safety is not an easy topic to talk about and get people involved.

“Often, it’s not high on the priority list, but actually every weekend older teenagers are making decisions related to how they get about, decisions which can be life changing. We’ve been thinking about how we plant seeds of awareness about those decisions they make as road users.” 

The interactive video was specifically designed for rangatahi to experience something close to a realistic situation around driving (breaching licence conditions for example), while weaving in factors like speeding, restraints, impairment and distractions that impact the ability to drive safely.

The video lets viewers experience the consequences of decisions, while characters also role-model coping strategies to respond to peer pressure.

Donna says the video is a starting point – follow-up discussions are an essential part of the experience.

“We want to empower young people to lead conversations about the decisions they make in the video and influence others to make safer choices.”

The video will be used by SADD student groups in secondary schools. It will also be available to partner organisations as a tool to reach youth. 

Teachers can support its use during class time, whānau assemblies or other focused sessions. It is accompanied by a lesson plan with prompts for generating discussion.

You can find the video on the Kaitiaki o Ara/SADD website. 

Interactive video The After Party (SADD)(external link)