Pubdate: Mon, 25 May 2009 Source: Northumberland Today (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 Sun Media Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/TsYrjmMc Website: http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5003 Author: Pete Fisher ANTI-DRUG PROJECT GETS FUNDING BOOST The federal government announced Friday it is supporting a project to help prevent youth from using illicit drugs. The Resiliency Project is spearheaded by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit. "The Government of Canada is taking concrete steps to help prevent young people from taking drugs," Northumberland-Quinte West MP Rick Norlock said on behalf of Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq during Friday's announcement at Rebound Child and Youth Services Northumberland in Cobourg. Norlock presented a cheque for $284,308 to the health unit 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," Norlock said. 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. Rebound executive director Nicola Crow said the project will "be a fantastic opportunity, not only for the communities but also for the youth in all three counties. "The key thing is the involvement of youth engaging youth. Youth in our community are our priority. We want to see them succeed and reach their fullest potential." 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." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake