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. From 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.