Pubdate: Wed, 27 May 2009
Source: Minden Times (CN ON)
Copyright: 2009, OSPREY Media Group Inc
Contact:  http://www.mindentimes.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3720
Author: Peter Fisher
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

GOVERNMENT KEEPS KIDS DRUG-FREE

The federal government is supporting a project to help  prevent youth 
from using illicit drugs.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District  Health Unit has 
been given $284,308 to kick off the  Resiliency Project, which is 
designed to implement and  promote activities aimed at preventing 
drug use among  youth in Northumberland County, Haliburton County 
and  the City of Kawartha Lakes.

The money, from the government's Drug Strategy  Initiatives Fund, 
will be used over the next 29 months.

"The project partners will recruit young people to  participate in 
youth council, and members of the  council will be trained to counsel 
their peers and  provide them with the options of healthier life 
choices," says Northumberland-Quinte West MP Nick  Morlock, who made 
the announcement on behalf of his  government.

The former Ontario Provincial Police officer added that  drugs are 
"absolutely" a problem in this area.

"Not only the amount of drugs, but the kind of drugs,"  he said. 
"Some of them only take two or three uses  before you become addicted."

Norlock said the chief of the Ottawa Police Department  told him 
people who are addicted to drugs commit eight  times the number of 
crimes than those who are not  addicted.

"This program is designed to dissuade you from  beginning to take 
drugs and for those who are in the  early stages, or addicted to 
drugs at least lead them  away from the usage of drugs which in and 
of itself  tends to in many cases leads to other antisocial 
issues  and crime," he said.

"Now that drugs are in our primary schools, we have to  do something 
about it and today's announcement is  exactly that. "This is, to me, 
one of the most  important pieces of the puzzle of how you remove 
drugs  from a community."

The anonymous Ontario Drug Student Survey includes  students from 
Grade 7 and into high schools.

It revealed some students are using drugs in the fifth  grade and up.

The Eastern Region, which includes City of Kawartha  Lakes, 
Haliburton and Northumberland County, showed an  increase in Oxy- 
Contin and tranquilizers, where the  Toronto area had a decline in drug use.

The health unit worked in partnership with Rebound  Child and Youth 
Services Northumberland, The Boys and  Girls Club of Kawartha Lakes 
and the Haliburton  Highland's Family Health team to develop the 
Resiliency  Project. The project also includes Point In Time Youth 
Services of Haliburton County, Northumberland Drug  Action Committee, 
Kawartha Lakes Drug Action Committee,  Haliburton Drug Action 
Committee, the HKPR District  Health Unit and the United Way.

Health unit project co-ordinator Bridgette McFarthing  said she hopes 
the project will last three years.

"We're hiring youth in the fall once we lay our  foundation," she 
said. "It's bringing together five  agencies, three networks, 
reaching out to youth and  then youth starting up and coming together 
- -- so that  takes a bit of time."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom