Addiction
Awareness Program Starts with Students
(From
the Guysborough Journal, November 21, 2001)
By
Susanne Wagner
GUYSBOROUGH
- For too long the term peer pressure has had a negative connotation.
It often referred to teens pressuring their friends into trying
cigarettes, drugs, alcohol or something else their parent might
not be too happy about.
But
that's been changing. And this week, as part of Addiction Awareness
week, a group of students at Guysborough Academy are taking
part in a new program which takes a community-based approach
in breaking addiction, specifically smoking.
One
of the themes of Addiction Awareness week this year is Community
Capacity Building and the ability of local community groups,
such as young people, to affect change and make a difference
in their community,
Wendy
Panagopoulos, is one of the prevention and community educators
for District 7 & 8 Health Authority. She talks about a new
program and the tools available to groups like the young people
at the school.
"There's
a lot of publicity around a new comprehensive tobacco strategy
for Nova Scotia," She says. "One of the exciting new
tools now available to community groups is called the Community
Action Tool Kit on Tobacco."
The
action kit was developed after statistics revealed that Nova
Scotia has the highest smoking rate in Canada at 29 per cent
and the heaviest consumption of cigarettes per smoker. To address
the issue the Nova Scotia Department of Health released the
Provincial Tobacco Control Strategy last November. One of the
keys of that strategy was a commitment to community-based tobacco
control interventions.
Action
in Your Community Against Tobacco or ACT is designed to increase
the ability of community members to take action against tobacco
in their own communities. The initiative recognizes that reducing
tobacco use requires a shift in community attitudes and norms
about smoking and that this kind of change can only take place
when local community people are committed to investing themselves
in the effort.
Presently
four people are trained within District 7 & 8 to coach groups
in the use of the program and an accompanying tool kit which
provides community members with practical evidence-based tobacco
control activity ideas for use in their communities. The students
at Guysborough Academy will learn how to use the kit and apply
the capacity building techniques within the school. The first
training session is this week.
The
addiction awareness committee which will be involved in the
project is made up of students, Panagopoulos and Michael Doyle.
Principal Elizabeth Teasdale is the group's teacher advisor.
"It's
a great initiative," says Panagopoulos.
Leona
Purcell, the coordinator of the Youth Health Centre at the high
school says once the students receive training in the program
they'll select two actions from the kit and initiate them in
their community.
"We
don't know what idea this group will take," she says.
"There
are a lot of different options," adds Panagopoulos. "There
are so many different ways to engage people."
Some
of the ideas included in the ACT package include smoke-free
program for preschoolers, talking about tobacco at home, smoking
and young women and smoke-free sports.
Also
as part of the activities surrounding Addiction Awareness week
students participated in a contest to design new bookmarks with
Addiction Services contact numbers on them. The winner will
be selected this week and will receive a gift certificate for
school clothing.
