PARENTS BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN KEEPING YOUTH DRUG-FREE

When it comes to drug-proofing children, parents hold the most influence.

Research shows nearly half of teens who haven't tried marijuana
credit their parents with the decision.

"Parents are the most influential people in kids' lives," said
Kristen Prediger, manager of Focus on the Family's How to Drug Proof
Your Kids program.

With that in mind, six Semiahmoo Rotary Club members have signed on
to learn how to teach parents to help their children make smart
decisions about drugs, alcohol and smoking.

How to Drug Proof Your Kids aims to equip parents, teachers and other
adults who influence children with knowledge of drugs today and how
they affect families and communities. A two-day workshop this weekend
will provide participants the skills necessary to lead a six-session
program for parents.

"We jumped on the bandwagon," Semiahmoo Rotary's Dave Aune said.

"This is something we can get our teeth into at the grassroots level."

Prediger said facilitators are taught to lead a prevention-based
program, covering topics including why children take drugs;
strategies for parents; statistics; and prevention tools. They're
encouraged to offer it at neighbourhood schools and community
centres. The message is stronger when it comes from someone in your
own community, she said.

Aune hopes to take it into Peninsula elementary schools. That's where
many children get their first introduction to drugs, he said. Parents
need the skills and knowledge to address the issue before it arises.

"This stuff starts in the elementary, middle school level. It's too
late at the high school level," he said.

Prediger said in tackling the drug issue, it's important parents know
where their children are at developmentally, as well as what's going
on at their school.

She encouraged parents to sign on to parent programs the newly
trained facilitators will soon be offering.

"We want this to be a program that provides hope for families," Prediger said.

"It's just a matter of getting parents to take the time."

For information, call 604-539-7917