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Hundreds of Western Bay of Plenty youth are turning to community events encouraging them to ditch alcohol and spend the summer without substances.

The 100% Summer Without Substances programme in Welcome Bay, Merivale, Brookfield, Mount Maunganui, Katikati and Te Puke are being run with the tagline - ‘Why waste your summer wasted when you can enjoy a fantastic summer'.

Sela Tupou, 12, and Te Aorangi Ngawaka-Cowley, 11, trying out boxing.

Halo Ropiha, 5, boxing with his father Trinity.

Tauranga youth consultant and project organiser Becks Watts says the events are purely to encourage youth to be substance-free this summer – and so far, hundreds have taken part.

About 200-300 participants took part in the Mount event during the first week of January, while close to 100 Te Puke youngsters enjoyed last Thursday's event and other areas are recording about 100 young people getting involved.

'The aim of this is to reduce injury and harm through alcohol use – and we visit six different Bay neighbourhoods from December 31 to January 31,” says Becks.

'We visit a neighbourhood every weekday and visit each neighbourhood between two and four times during the month-long series of events.”

At the events, youngsters of all ages can have fun in a mobile boxing ring and gym, play volleyball, Kiwi-tag, touch, basketball, and participate in art workshops and enjoy a free barbecue.

Becks says volunteers, staff, including Sport Bay of Plenty representatives, and community members come along to help spread the alcohol-free message.

'We also have resources we hand out, which are specifically around encouraging young people not to use alcohol. We've got free giveaways and our branded water, which has lots of messaging on it, so there are informal conversations but also intentional messaging that we've put through too.”

Becks says all ages participate, but the target is intermediate and college-age youngsters.

'We're really encouraging young people to have an awareness and an education round alcohol, especially that age range – and the best way to do that is to engage with the young people.

'What we're highlighting is to not drink alcohol under the legal age of 18 – but if they're going to drink alcohol regardless, to advise to make sure you are really careful and have a good plan in place around safety; keeping yourself safe and keeping others safe.”

Working with young people for 20 years, Becks came up with the idea and got some young people involved in the planning, preparation and programming of it.

'It seems like a time when they like to cut loose, so we thought it's an opportune time for some intentional messages.”

This is the third summer the project has run and Becks says the one-on-one nature of the events has made an impact.

But she also believes, as a nation, NZ has serious issues involving youth. One of these issues is youth and substance abuse.

'This is still an issue that needs to be picked away at, like any social issue that needs constant reinforcement.

'I was talking to a young guy who had an accident when he was around a pool having a few beers with mates and now he's tetraplegic, so he said ‘it's very easy to just think you're invincible as a young person and to make one small mistake and that can change the course of your life forever'.”

100% Summer Without Substances remaining venues and dates:

Merivale at Surrey Grove Reserve:

Wednesday, January 22, 2014, from 3pm-5pm

Wednesday, January 29, 2014, from 3pm-5pm

Waitaha Reserve at Welcome Bay:

Friday, January 24, 2014, from 3pm-5pm

Friday, January 31, 2014, from 3pm-5pm

Brookfield at Sydenham Botanic:

Tuesday, January 21, 2014, from 3pm-5pm.

Thursday, January 30, 2014, from 3pm-5pm.

Te Puke at Jubilee Park:

Thursday, January 23, 20-14, from 3pm-5pm.

Katikati at Katikati Resource Centre:

Monday, January 20, 2014, from 2.30pm-4.30pm.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014, from 2.30pm-4.30pm.