Pubdate: Tue, 05 Feb 2008 Source: Georgian (CN NF) Copyright: 2008 Georgian Contact: http://www.thegeorgian.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3492 Author: Christopher Vaughan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) MIDDLE SCHOOL JOINS NATIONAL ANTI-DRUG PROJECT Keeping Kids Safe Stephenville parents and caregivers who to learn more about preventing their school age children from using drugs or alcohol are about to get some important help. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are partnering with Community in Schools to introduce Kids and Drugs - a Parents Guide to Prevention, at Stephenville Middle School. "We want to give parents the tools and the abilities to understand their children; to know what they're talking about; how to talk to their children and also to know what drugs are available what drugs are out there and how to deal with those problems," says RCMP Cpl. Kimball Vardy. He says the school is one of six across the country to take part in this pilot project. "Basically, it's for kids ages eight to 15, so the Middle School fit right in there," says Cpl. Vardy. "That's the reason why it was chosen for here - it was the target group." Along with Cpl. Vardy, the five weekly workshops will be facilitated by local parents Gerri Davison, Corrine Tulk and Wanda Wilson. Ms. Davison says it's important for parents to talk to their children about the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol at an early age. "Once they get to 12 or 13, that's when these things start happening," she says. "It's usually around this age they start trying to have a cigarette, so the younger the better to educate them about what's out there." Cpl. Vardy adds children frequently emulate their caregivers, so helping caregivers be positive role models for their children is imperative in preventing children from getting involved with drugs. He says parents also need to understand how the make-up of drugs has changed over the years. He notes levels of TCH [delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol], the active ingredient in marijuana, are stronger today than they were two decades ago. "It's not like years ago when it was probably six or seven per cent TCH content," he says. "Now we're talking upwards of 20 per cent of TCH in marijuana. Plus you've got all the pharmaceutical drugs now and all the meth and different types of drugs available." Comfortable atmosphere Ms. Tulk says while the workshops are taking place at the school, parents should not expect to sit still and just listen. "It's going to be a lot of information coming at them, at the same time we want it to be fun," she says. "It's not going to be a classroom setting, we're going to make it as informal as we can make it." She notes parents will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences with one another. "When they come to this, we're hoping they're going to sit back and go, 'hey, I'm not alone in this,'" says Ms. Tulk. "But another person here is having the same problem and then people get talking, and you have a ripple effect." Kids and Drugs was developed by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission and the RCMP. Ms. Tulk notes she, along with Ms. Davison and Ms. Wilson, travelled to Alberta to receive their facilitator training. The workshops start this evening at Stephenville Middle School. Ms. Tulk notes if somebody misses the first session, they are welcome to come along to next week's workshop. - ---------------------------------------- Communication is key The faciliators of the Kids and Drugs - a Parents Guide to Prevention program say open communication is key to helping children steer clear of drugs and alcohol. Here are a few tips for parents and caregivers to create an environment of open communication with their children: Spend time with children, whether it's at home or away; Find the right time to talk, and be available when children want to talk; Get to know your children's activities and interests, along with their friends and their friends' parents; Be prepared and stay calm when difficult topics like drugs or alcohol come up. When starting a conversation with your children, it is helpful to: Try to avoid lecturing; Keep a relaxed attitude; Encourage your children to ask questions and to say what they think; Make an effort to understand your children's point of view; Do not expect to agree on everything; Develop active listening skills; Be as objective and succinct as possible when explaining facts about drugs. Source: Kids and Drugs, parent's booklet - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath