OurFutures: drug and alcohol education for schools

The programs are run by the OurFutures Institute, a non-profit organisation that was previously called Climate Schools. They were developed with researchers including the Matilda Centre at the University of Sydney and the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC).

Programs for each year level

OurFutures offers programs for students from years 7 to 11, covering:

• alcohol
• cannabis and psychostimulants
• MDMA and emerging drugs
• vaping
• mental health.

Built into the school curriculum

Each module has 4 to 6 lessons that are mapped to the health education curriculum. Lessons combine online cartoons with classroom activities, and teachers don’t need formal training to run them.

Focused on wellbeing, not scare tactics

OurFutures approaches alcohol and other drug use from a health and wellbeing perspective. It follows the principles of effective school drug education: it’s part of the curriculum, run by classroom teachers, and avoids scare tactics and one-off talks.

Evidence-based and evaluated

OurFutures is informed by best practice and has been evaluated and shown to reduce drug use.

Available to every school

The programs are delivered online, so any school in Australia can use them, wherever it is.

How Local Drug Action Teams can help

Local Drug Action Teams working with schools can introduce OurFutures to local schools as a ready-made option. OurFutures isn’t the only good program. Other programs that follow the national guidelines, such as the WA Department of Education’s School Drug Education and Road Aware (SDERA) in Western Australia, are also good choices.

Find out more:

• OurFutures Institute
• What works in alcohol and other drug education in schools
• Education in schools toolkit
• Positive Choices

Last reviewed: 16 October 2026