Pubdate: Mon, 23 Oct 2006
Source: Drayton Valley Western Review (CN AB)
Copyright: 2006 Bowes Publishers Limited
Contact: http://www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com/contact.php
Website: http://www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/980
Author: Geoffrey Jackson

STUDENT SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED

Tuesday October 24, 2006 A collaborative survey was  recently 
compiled and released to the public.

The survey was taken by hundreds of students in Drayton  Valley in an 
attempt by the Town of Drayton Valley to  form a numerical statistic 
for three major concerns of  the Town.

Matthew Grant, youth project co-ordinator for the Town  of Drayton 
Valley, said the survey was conceived  through a desire to attain 
hard numbers, as opposed to  anecdotal evidence on whether the Town's 
plans have  actually been met with success.

"We needed demographics to see if we were making  progress," said 
Grant. "But we wanted to look at  youth."

Youth were targeted first for the survey as part of the  Town's 
Strategic Plan for Youth Development, which  Grant described with the 
question, "What do we want for  our young people in the future?"

The three segments of the survey addressed community  inclusion, 
response to the DARE program, and drug use  among students.

"Our community has been really active on tackling the  issues of 
drugs," said Grant, adding that from the  results of the survey, 
school had the remarkable  benefit of being an effective anti-drug.

Of all the students surveyed, only 3.6 per cent have  tried crystal 
meth, a drug that is commonly seen as  being one of the most 
problematic in Drayton Valley.

However, according to the survey, more than seven per  cent said they 
had taken prescription drugs for  non-medical reasons, the most 
commonly misused  medication being codeine, a powerful painkiller 
found  in Tylenol 3.

However, Grant said that even with the drug problems in  Drayton 
Valley, the results from the survey showed hope  and proof of success.

"The situation is not as bad as some people think it  is," said 
Grant. "The kids are very good, they do good  things."

In surveying the students' feelings of community  inclusion, many 
young people felt that Drayton Valley  was a good place to live, 
although a the survey put  forward that around one in five young 
people don't feel  safe walking around downtown Drayton Valley alone.

Grant said the survey was the first step in a broader  series of 
surveys coming over the next few years, with  the next one being 
aimed at young people who have  entered the workforce.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine