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Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place

Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.

Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.

A weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them.

Presenter Myra Anubi speaks to reporters, experts and innovators to investigate how effective different solutions are, share their successes and inspire listeners with what is possible.

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People Fixing The World: How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers

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How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers

14/11/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - People Fixing The World, How Iceland Saved Its Teenagers

The story of how a nation came together to wean its teenagers off drink and drugs.

Twenty years ago, Iceland had some of the worst rates for under-age drinking in Europe; now they are among the best. How did a nation come together to save its teenagers?

In 1998, 42% of Iceland’s 15 and 16 year-olds reported that they had got drunk in the past 30 days. By 2016, though, this figure had fallen to just 5% and drug use and smoking had also sharply declined. The action plan that led to this dramatic success is sometimes called “the Icelandic Model” – and strikingly, it does not focus on tighter policing or awareness campaigns to warn children off bad habits. Instead, top researchers collaborate closely with communities on initiatives like parental pledges and night-time patrols after dark, while the government invests in recreational facilities. But is being a teenager in Iceland still fun?

Presenter: Harriet Noble
Reporter: William Kremer

Image: Icelandic teenagers / Credit: BBC

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