Pubdate: Fri, 08 Jun 2007
Source: Lethbridge Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007 The Lethbridge Herald
Contact:  http://www.lethbridgeherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/239
Author: Sherri Gallant
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

INFO SESSION REVEALS WHAT YOUTHS ARE SAYING

Youth in Lethbridge are drinking more, but smoking  less. The number
of pot smokers has been fairly  consistent for the past five years,
but aside from  marijuana, there are fewer kids doing illicit drugs.

When they're asked about what's important to them,  young adults aged
15 to 24 in this city say there are  too few places for them to go and
hang out, and that  some of the places they can go don't feel like
safe  places to be.

They're also worried about garbage and the environment  and decry the
education system. They wish it was easier  to get decent jobs, and
have plenty to say about public  transportation.

By early July, representatives of this demographic will  bring
recommendations to city council from a Youth  Summit held here on St.
Patrick's Day. They won't say  what's on their wish list; only that if
council is  willing to act on it, it could soon become easier to be  a
young adult in Lethbridge.

A crowd of about 40 (mostly adults) attended an  information session
Thursday at the Lethbridge Public  Library to hear the results of the
Alberta Youth  Experiences Survey (what teens reveal about substance
use), hear highlights from the local Youth Summit,  learn the latest
about a new drug treatment centre in  Lethbridge, and hear what they
can do to help make kids  more resilient.

"The really interesting thing about this survey that  always comes out
is that a lot of times our perceptions  about what youth are doing in
our community are very  different from what youth are actually doing
in our  community," said Gwen Reimer, an addictions counsellor  with
AADAC who presented an overview of the Youth  Experience Survey.

In other words, most kids perceive the level of pot  smoking, tobacco
use and crystal meth use among their  peers to be much higher than it
actually is. But on the  other hand, they slightly underestimate how
much  boozing is going on.

"Alcohol has always been a primary focus of AADAC,"  Reimer said, "But
what we've learned about the rates of  drinking among youth has caused
AADAC to refocus on  alcohol."

Perceptions may be skewed, Reimer said, but they are
important.

"We have to look at how can we change perceptions,  because if they
think their peers are using, they're  more likely to try it
themselves."

The main risk factors that set kids up for substance  abuse are age
(the younger they start, the more grim  their odds); their friends'
behaviour; family history  and discord; and poor connections to school
life.

The best-protected youths are those who have parents  monitoring their
activities (but not harassing them);  those who have good social
skills; who have access to  and participate in pro-social activities;
get decent  marks in school; and have good connections in their
school life.

Tom Mountain, director of the city's new Youth  Residential Treatment
Centre, said construction is  underway to renovate the old Young
Offenders' Centre  and the eight-bed facility should be open by early
summer.

Trevor Brown, a youth facilitator in the city who was  an organizer of
the Youth Summit, said young people are  looking for ways to belong,
to express themselves and  to make a difference in the community.

"Labels was a big one for youth," he said. "They feel  they're
victimized by stereotyping and denied certain  things because of that."
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath