Pubdate: Fri, 28 Jan 2005
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Coast Reporter
Contact:  http://www.coastreporter.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hr.htm (Harm Reduction)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

WHAT CAN WE AS A COMMUNITY DO?

Valuing Our Youth

Editor's note: This is the third of a three-part series on drugs, alcohol 
and youth on the Sunshine Coast.

Last week we asked what's missing in our support for youth with alcohol and 
drug problems and what can we as a community do.

The Sunshine Coast youth alcohol and drug community response strategy 
clearly tells us what's missing in our approach to this regional problem. 
This strategy was developed with the assistance of 171 youth and adults who 
could speak directly to the challenges facing our community around this issue.

Coordination: The first part of the three pronged approach recommended in 
the community response strategy (coordination, prevention and response) is 
well underway.

The action sub-committee of the Youth Awareness Committee is meeting 
regularly and has begun to lobby and advocate for sustainable funding to 
support our Sunshine Coast youth with alcohol and drug problems.

Prevention: The key areas of an effective prevention program are education 
(youth and adult focused); place (adult supervised, youth friendly places 
in each community); increased sense of connection and belonging; activities 
(alternatives to street activities); and support for parents.

Some of the gaps in these key areas are being filled by our five Community 
Schools, the Sunshine Coast Community Services Society, Sunshine Coast RCMP 
and the Sunshine Coast Regional District parks and recreation department. 
However, the gaps in the prevention area are glaring and obvious. We lack a 
regional, coordinated, youth alcohol and drug prevention program. As one of 
the youth involved in the report said: educate adults so kids can receive 
calm and informed messages.

What's needed to fill this gap is sustainable funding for a prevention 
program based on sound harm reduction principles.

For prevention programs to be regional and effective, they need a paid 
coordinator. Other communities, for example Powell River and Squamish, have 
these prevention programs. The funding comes from the Mental Health 
Services department of the North Shore/Coast Garibaldi Health Services.

Response: One of the youth interviewed for the report poignantly stated the 
need for a Sunshine Coast response strategy: "Someone on drugs often has a 
lot of personal problems. Sometimes it feels like nobody cares so they may 
as well not care about themselves. What a community can do is care about a 
person in their time of difficulty, show them they aren't alone."

At present there are no addiction services on the Sunshine Coast that focus 
on the unique challenges of youth with drug and alcohol problems. We know 
from research that dollars spent on the early onset of addiction can save 
considerable health dollars down the road.

When asked about a youth addictions counsellor, Paul Charon of Mental 
Health and Addiction services said, "The needs of youth struggling with 
addiction problems on the Sunshine Coast are well documented. When funding 
was transferred to health authorities across the province, we received 
funding to support 1.5 professional therapists. We made a conscious 
decision to focus our clinical services on the outpatient counseling needs 
of the adult population. To do otherwise would have meant that we [would] 
have under-resourced not only adolescents but also adults."

As parents and caring community members, we can speak up and question the 
priorities and funding levels of our local health resources. The community 
response strategy states that the hiring of at least one youth addictions 
counsellor is a priority.

As a community we cannot afford to drag our feet any longer. We need these 
services and places for youth now. The cost of not supporting or valuing 
our youth is too high.

Over the next few months, as the Youth Action Committee continues its work, 
we will share with you the progress being made toward implementing a 
strategy to support and value our Sunshine Coast youth.
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