Booked Out is a speakers agency for writers, artists and thinkers. More »
Contact Us
VIC: (03) 9824 0177
FAX: (03) 9824 0677
Contact us »
Sharon Torpey – The Drug Education Project
Drug and alcohol education, Personal Development, Wellbeing
One life lost due to alcohol or drug misuse is one too many….
The reality is all young people need drug and alcohol education, whether they indulge or not, as everyone can be affected by the choices of those who do. Our aim is to reduce the adverse health, social, cultural and economic consequences of alcohol and other drug use by minimising the harm for both the community and the individual.
Sharon Torpey – Empowering Young People Through Real, Honest Drug Education
As the Founder and Director of Drug Education Australia, Sharon Torpey is a leading voice in delivering high-impact, evidence-based drug education to school communities, sporting groups, and music festivals. With over 25 years as a qualified Physical Education and Health teacher, Sharon has a rare gift for connecting with young people and their families in both primary and secondary settings.
Her 15-year partnership with VicRoads—facilitating learner driver education and the powerful “Look After Our Mates” drink/drug driving program—reflects her deep commitment to youth wellbeing and community responsibility.
Sharon’s sessions are anything but textbook. Through The Drug Education Project, she creates safe, inclusive, and genuinely engaging environments where young people feel empowered to ask questions and make informed choices about drugs and alcohol. Her strength lies in her ability to break down complex topics with warmth, clarity, and a non-judgmental approach—making her one of the most sought-after educators in the field.
She doesn’t stop at the school gates! Sharon also volunteers with DanceWize, a peer-led harm reduction initiative at music festivals, taking education to where young people are and delivering it in real-time, real-world contexts.
Whether she’s in a classroom, a sports club, or a festival crowd, Sharon’s goal is simple: to equip young people with the knowledge, confidence, and tools they need to make safer, healthier decisions.
Testimonials
Sharon Torpey from The Drug Education Project has been an exceptional facilitator for our Middle Years Students. Her workshops are not only engaging but also highly informative, significantly enriched by her collaboration with a paramedic who assists in the presentations. Sharon’s ability to tailor the content to meet our school’s unique needs and the specific audience is truly commendable. She consistently incorporates up-to-date research, ensuring that the information presented is both relevant and accurate. We highly recommend Sharon for her outstanding educational programs.
The speakers were great, their underlying message was really good. Students and staff had lots of positives to say about the delivery of the content.
Drug Ed’s presentation hit the spot, it was highly engaging and super relevant for the Year 11 students. We look forward to having you speak again to our students in the future.
Sharon was incredible. Not only did she tailor the content to the year groups but she tailored it to the individual students in the room based on their statements and curiosities. We had groups of students from multiple schools run across two days ranging from 200 students to 30 students and all sessions had the young people engaged in the content. Our evening parent sessions were well attended and feedback has been fantastic from parents, students, school staff and youth workers who attended the sessions. I highly recommend Sharon to anyone looking for a well educated, eloquent speaker to captivate and educate your audience!
Just wanted to follow up with my gratitude to you on yesterday’s sessions. The Year 11s in particular spoke to me about how much they enjoyed and learnt from your session. They said it was very useful and practical information. I also learnt a lot from you and will use this in my future teaching. We will aim to book you in again next year.