Karla’s news report proposal

The Gold Coast lit up at night

I will be researching on the annual schoolies weekend, whereby year 12 graduates from all over Australia go to the Gold Coast to rest, relax and enjoy the after dark culture that has for many years been a tradition with year 12 graduates in Australia.

Every year, students who attend Schoolies week cause all kinds of havoc within the community. Due to the amount of alcohol in their systems, they are more prone to causing violent fights which in turn leads to damaged properties. Vandalism due to alcohol is also a problem.  However, the amounts of people that attend schoolies have also been debated to help with the economy of the Gold Coast. This article will not withhold interested year 12 graduates from attending schoolies week, but instead, it will allow them to take precautions on how to drink responsibly, a campaign that the Australian government have been investing millions of dollars in; have fun while being safe, and allows parents to gain more information about Schoolies week.

Schoolies is not only concentrated in Gold Coast; there are other alternative places that students can go for schoolies as well, such as Byron Bay, or Lorne. These places are much different and quieter in comparison to the Gold Coast. For worried parents whose children still want to attend the schoolies weekend, these places make a good alternative and will be researched in this article.

In previous years, issues surrounding schoolies can be seen on news programs such as Today Tonight, A Current Affair, and various newspapers. These articles discuss the concept of Schoolies week, the changes it’s gone through in comparison to previous years as well as new regulations and precautions to take if one were interested in attending Schoolies week. Due to the amount of coverage surrounding weeks leading up to Schoolies, during schoolies and the aftermath of schoolies, is what has gotten me interested in writing an article about schoolies and how to safely enjoy schoolies. Past links to articles that discuses the impact of schoolies will be available in the article.

The Queensland Government have erected a website on schoolies with files on how to ‘survive’ schoolies. There are also many other websites as well as articles from The Age that circle around the Schoolies Weekend, that I find will be helpful towards this article. Website and articles vary from attractions and events that happen during the week as well as hazards and ways to ‘party safely’.

Interviewees for this will be a current year 12 who is planning on going to schoolies, an already graduated year 12 who has experienced Schoolies week, as well as current year 12’s or a graduated year 12 that did not attend the schoolies week.  This will enable an unbiased look into the schoolies week.

Tools used for this would be 1 or 2 videos from a news agency. Vox pop would be used to ask random people on the streets what they think of schoolies, do they think it should be banned; this will enable us to see the views of the general public across a big age range, and are able to see how they view schoolies. Other than a vox pop, a survey can also be conducted and be given out to people. As well as that, I will also be using google maps to outline places to stay for those interested in schoolies, and other places besides the Gold Coast where one can go for schoolies too. For example, not all accommodations in Byron Bay accept schoolies, so by highlighting those that do, it will make it easier for those interested.

Various studies and statistics surrounding schoolies week will be used to further investigate my research, talking to people about schoolies too will help deepen it. Trying to find out what the government is going to do about schoolies, will also help with the investigation towards the article. Various links to more information and reviews about schoolies week will be provided for parents and youths.