Pubdate: Tue, 12 Jan 2010
Source: Camrose Booster, The ( CN AB )
Copyright: 2010 The Camrose Booster
Contact:  http://www.camrosebooster.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2438
Author: Brett Browne
Cited: Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention: 
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/docas-ssdco/guide-kid-enf/toc-tdm-eng.htm
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

KIDS AND DRUGS PROGRAM LAUNCHING THIS FEBRUARY

One the best ways to prevent substance use and abuse by children is to 
educate and empower parents.  That is the thinking behind a new program 
that will be rolled out in Camrose this February.

"Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention" is the Alberta adaptation 
of a national program developed cooperatively by the RCMP and AADAC.

"The program is not so much concerned about the drugs that are out there; 
it is about building relations between parents and kids and building 
parents' strengths," explains Jan Turnbull, a Success Mentor at Charlie 
Killam School and member of the Camrose Alcohol and Drug Task Force which 
is bringing the program to Camrose.

The first presentation of Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention 
will be held at Ecole Sifton School Wednesday evenings starting February 
3.  The the program will unfold over five sessions, each with a different 
theme such as "The power of parents," "Talking with your kids," "Helping 
your kids make good decisions," "What parents need to know about drugs," 
and "What next? Creating a personal action plan."

"It's really easy to follow and is very much a prevention and promotion 
based program, which helps parents to realize that they have the skills to 
raise kids that are going to avoid drugs and alcohol," explains Task Force 
member Bettyann Petruk, Health Promotion Facilitator with Alberta Health 
Services.

"It's not so much that parents are going to go back, take the information 
that they learned in these sessions, and tell their children about it.  It 
is more that they are going to put into practice the skills and knowledge 
in their parenting and in dealing with other kids," she adds.

The Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention sessions will be led by 
a number of local facilitators who took part in a two-day training session 
this fall hosted by the Camrose Alcohol and Drug Task Force.  As a result, 
a total of 11 facilitators, from a variety of backgrounds, are now 
available to help roll out the program in the community.

Task force members hope to follow the initial presentation at Sifton School 
with others throughout the community.  The idea, according to Petruk, is to 
build a web of individuals who can employ the skills contained within the 
program.

"Once parents have come to receive the training and information, they can 
then work with their schools and their communities as they see fit," she 
explains.  "Basically it is increasing community capacity around drug and 
alcohol prevention."

Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention is targeted for parents and 
caregivers of children in the grades four and five age range and is open to 
anyone who is interested.  The first intake of the program is being 
promoted through Ecole Sifton School but other interested individuals may 
be included if there is space available.

The Task Force is not sure what the response will be to the initial 
offering of the program, but the experience in other communities has been 
that, after the first intake, interest spreads.

"This is something that builds by word of mouth, so this time we might get 
only 10 people, but next time there could be a waiting list," explains Task 
Force member Devonna Gibson, Network Coordinator with the Prairie Central 
FASD Network.

The Kids and Drugs program dovetails nicely with the children-focused DARE 
program offered in Camrose schools by the Camrose Police Service.  The 
program is also ideally suited to a more prevention-oriented focus adopted 
by the Camrose Alcohol and Drug Task Force ( formerly the Battle River Drug 
Response Task Force ).

"Our Task Force has kind of switched gears, which is why we changed our 
name.  We're not a crisis response team anymore, we're more focused on 
prevention and promotion," explains Turnbull.  "We work collaboratively 
raising the awareness of the factors around drug and alcohol use among 
youth and families in the community."

The Task Force is made up of a broad cross section of members including 
representatives from health, education, police, and the community at large.

For more information about Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention, 
contact Devonna Gibson at 780-608-8655, or Rajan Rathnavalu at 780-679-2980. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D