Beyond Saying No:
Refusal Skills That Actually Work

A free 30-minute webinar to help educators build students’ confidence and practical skills for responding to pressure and substance-related situations.

Support your students and school community with evidence-based strategies and ready-to-use resources, without adding more to an already full plate.

Thursday 6 August 2026, 12:00–12:30 pm AEST

Please check your local time.

Are you helping students build practical refusal skills?

Young people are often told to “just say no”, but responding confidently under pressure is rarely that simple.

Young people are often told to “just say no”, but responding confidently under pressure is rarely that simple.

Pressure and influence can come from friends, older students, siblings, adults or simply being in a situation where alcohol, vaping products or other drugs are present.

Students need practical strategies to recognise pressure, consider their options, communicate their boundaries and stand by healthier choices.

The challenge for schools is knowing how to teach and reinforce these skills in ways that are practical, engaging and manageable for busy educators.

In just 30 minutes, you’ll walk away with:

  • practical strategies for building students’ refusal skills;

  • clearer ways to help students respond confidently under pressure;

  • three free resources you can use or adapt in your school; and

  • a better understanding of how Blurred Minds resources, workshops and the Academy can support your students.

Register here

Why Attend?

  1. Move beyond simply telling students to “say no”.

  2. Understand the capabilities that support effective refusal, including decision-making, assertive communication and self-management.

  3. See practical activities that allow students to explore and rehearse different responses.

  4. Learn how to reinforce refusal strategies beyond a single lesson or conversation.

  5. See how refusal skills fit within a broader approach to vaping and alcohol and other drug prevention.

An icon of a teacher teaching students

Backed by more than 16 years of research and used by over 700 schools across Australia.

An icon of a magnifying glass looking at a graph on a screen

Practical, evidence-based and built for real school settings.

What you’ll Walk Away With

  • A clearer understanding of what effective refusal skills involve.

  • Practical ways to help students recognise and respond to pressure.

  • Three free resources that bring refusal-skills education to life.

  • Ideas for using these resources across classroom, wellbeing and student-support settings.

  • A clearer understanding of how Blurred Minds can support more sustained prevention education in your school.

30 minutes | Practical examples | Three free resources | Evidence-informed | Built for educators

Who this is for

Teacher in class teaching students

This session is for educators and school-based professionals involved in alcohol and other drug education, student wellbeing or prevention, including:

  • Secondary school teachers

  • HPE teachers and curriculum leaders

  • Year-level coordinators

  • Heads of year / house leaders

  • Wellbeing leaders

  • Student-support staff

  • School nurses

  • Guidance officers / guidance counsellors

  • School counsellors

  • School psychologists

    Deputies and principals

  • Pastoral-care staff

  • Anyone supporting student behaviour, wellbeing or prevention education in schools

Beyond Saying No: Refusal Skills That Actually Work

Join us for 30 minutes and leave with practical strategies, ready-to-use resources and clearer ways to help students respond confidently in pressured situations.

If you want to make refusal-skills education more practical, engaging and useful for students, this session is for you.

Thursday 6 August 2026, 12:00–12:30 pm AEST

Please check your local time.

A teacher discussing with two students.

Loading the form…
You can also open it directly below.

Having trouble viewing the form? Open the form in a new tab.

About Blurred Minds

Blurred Minds is a Griffith University initiative supporting schools with engaging, evidence-based alcohol, vaping and other drug education.

Our team works with educators, students and school communities across Australia through workshops, online modules, classroom resources and gamified learning experiences.

Drawing on more than 16 years of research and experience across 700+ schools, this session is designed to help educators make refusal-skills and prevention education more practical and engaging to deliver.

Want help working out what fits your school?

Every school context is different. Some schools need classroom-ready resources. Others need workshops, Academy access, staff support or help planning a broader prevention approach.

This session will give you a starting point. If you would like help mapping the right next step for your school, you can book a short 15-minute call with the Blurred Minds team.

Book a discovery call
A collage of images about vaping, presenting, and educational games