SUBSTANCE ABUSE STRATEGY

A made-in-the-Yukon program is being held up across the nation as a
model for other communities to follow.

The Substance Abuse Strategy and Solutions for the Yukon (SASSY) is a
unique partnership among the RCMP, the Alcohol and Drug Secretariat
and the Department of Education. The goal is to combat substance abuse
both in the schools and throughout the territory.

Health Canada has chosen to house the program in its resource library
in Ottawa. =46rom there, it'll be available to communities across the
nation that are looking for guidance in developing their own substance
abuse plan.

"Our program is flexible; that's why it works," said Whitehorse RCMP
Const. Peter Greenlaw, who heads the force's Drug Awareness Unit and
helped spearhead the program.

"Programs that work in downtown Toronto might not work in downtown
Montreal or Vancouver, and they sure won't work in Beaver Creek."

Along with the other organizations involved, Greenlaw developed the
project about three years ago after noticing that students and their
communities weren't responding to the "parachute programs" that were
used to deal with problems surrounding substance abuse, violence,
bullying and teenaged pregnancy. Parachute programs work on an
as-needed basis. This means that RCMP officers and counsellors are
"dropped" into a school, home or office when a crisis hits.

Those brought in to deal with the crisis only stay long enough to
smooth over the initial situation and do little to work at the root of
the problem.

It's exactly the short-term nature of these types of programs that
Greenlaw believes makes it harder for communities to combat substance
abuse and other social problems. "It's reactionary. You can't just
send in an RCMP officer for 40 minutes to lecture kids on the evils of
drugs and then leave. They won't listen and you won't have an impact
on their lives," said Greenlaw.

Instead, the RCMP officer advocates a type of long-term program that
works with students, teachers, RCMP and community groups and is
focused on prevention. It's that idea SASSY is modelled after.
"Combine your resources to deal with the entire problem. Don't set any
program in stone. That's how you change mind sets," said Greenlaw.

Through initiatives started in schools, SASSY teaches students social
skills like problem solving, empathy training and anger management.

It's these skills that Judith McIntyre, coordinator for school
counselling with the Department of Education and one of SASSY's
organizers, calls the "foundation" of prevention.

"We give kids the skills to make them powerful communicators. It
raises their self-esteem, which in turn, will allow them to resist the
pressure of drug or alcohol abuse. That's true prevention," she said.
Along with the Alcohol and Drug Secretariat's prevention and education
consultant, Sandra Armstrong, McIntyre and Greenlaw have implemented
two projects in area schools that focus on building social skills.

An example of one of the program's projects is the Real Game, an
interactive game that can be played from Grade 3 through to adulthood.
The game relies on the players' problem solving, communication and
listening skills.

Much like the game of Monopoly, players have to pick up chance cards
when they land on designated spaces on the board. The players then
have to work together to brainstorm solutions for the problem
illustrated on the card before the game continues.

"Someone just stole your car because they needed money to buy drugs"
is just one example of a scenario outlined on the chance cards.

"It's people coming up with their own solutions with a little
guidance," said Greenlaw about the Real Game.

And it works.

Greenlaw notes that in the schools where the game is being played,
students are creating their own chance cards in a move that reflects
the problems they face in everyday life. Cards like, "My parents are
alcoholics" and "I just found out I was pregnant" are just some of the
examples of these new student-designed cards.

"The game is constantly shifting to reflect the needs of the
players."

In Porter Creek Secondary School, there is a wait list to play the
game.

Because of its popularity, the local Rotary club just donated five new
games to the RCMP for use in area schools.

But the role-playing game is only one aspect of SASSY.

The Second Step program teaches students from kindergarten through to
Grade 9 skills like empathy training, anger management and problem
solving skills.

Both the Real Game and Second Step program are built directly into the
curriculum at area schools and are moulded to fit the needs of each
individual school and the problems they face.

"Like communities, schools and their students are different; you have
to keep that in mind at all times," said Greenlaw. While SASSY focuses
on combating substance abuse, McIntyre notes that the social skills
learned through the program can help students make "safe and educated"
decisions about any social problem.

"It's not just substance abuse. Problem solving skills can be used
when students face everything from teen pregnancy to violence. It's
all-encompassing," said McIntyre. This flexibility is exactly what is
singling-out SASSY and the Yukon as a front-runner in developing
substance abuse strategies nationally.

But the program isn't confined to the classroom.

Because of the emphasis SASSY places on community involvement, the
plan is to get local organizations to create their own unique programs
to help combat substance abuse in the territory. These organizations
would work with those already involved to create a web of services,
programs and initiatives throughout the territory.

Greenlaw, McIntyre and Armstrong are working on a booklet focused on
teaching parents about drug use.

If they can secure the funding, the group is hoping to distribute the
booklet free to all homes in the area.

This booklet is an example of the program's ability to incorporate
both the community and parents into the fight against substance abuse.
"We are now reaching out to parents," said McIntyre. "Because it is
proven that kids model what they learn at home."

As yet another example of the program's fluidity, Armstrong has just
completed compiling a set of substance abuse resource kits for
teachers at area schools.

The kits, which are specified to an individual grade level, give
teachers up-to-date videos, books and lesson plans focused directly at
building students' social skills while letting them learn and talk
about substance abuse in a safe environment, she said.

"This is a mammoth task and we can't do it all at once," Armstrong
said. "We are taking little chunks at a time."

SASSY is running on a five-year plan. Part of that plan is to have
programs, like the Real Game and Second Step integrated into all 29
schools in the area by 2003.

By that time, the group hopes to broaden the program's scope from
schools into the community even more.

"This is a grassroots effort created for and by the community it
serves," said Greenlaw.