A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE?

Some Whistler parents want to sound an alarm bell over the use of
drugs and alcohol by the community's youth.

" So many in this town for so long have got the blinders on and they
think that it is not happening here," said one mom who doesn't want
her name used to protect the identity of her child.

"But there are parties every weekend. Kids are staying out all night
and many parents don't even know whom their kids are supposed to be
staying with. It's time for us to wake up.

"I believe these kids need our help and guidance, our patience and a
lot more supervision and not our judgment."

According to the most recent Whistler statistics on youth, drugs, sex
and alcohol, there is nothing to suggest that the community's youth
are any different from other kids in B.C. or across Canada. (See sidebar).

But for some parents the numbers just aren't that important. It's as
if the town has reached a tipping point and as a community people are
unprepared to put up with this behaviour.

Bev Oakley, principal of Whistler Secondary, believes she is
witnessing that change first hand.

"I think from a health and safety standpoint the attitude of the
community toward drug use by youth has changed quite a lot, just as
we have seen a change in attitude toward wearing seat belts or
helmets," said Oakley. "There used to be a blind eye turned to
drinking and marijuana use, but with more information about the
profound health effects that these substances are having on our youth
this attitude is changing."

The drugs on offer today, including marijuana, are far more powerful
than they were 20 or so years ago and tend to be laced with a variety
of other substances that can be dangerous or highly addictive. Some
of the latest statistics indicate that as much as 25 per cent of the
ecstasy available for sale is now laced with methamphetamine, a
highly addictive stimulant.

"I think that message is slowly getting out there that this
represents a significant danger to our youth," said Oakley.

"The community as a whole seems to be evolving to a point of lower
tolerance of teen drug use as parents become more educated about the
dangers of the drugs available today."

Parental fear regarding the possible consequences to their children
is very real. Indeed there was even a suggestion by some parents at a
PAC meeting in 2005 to bring sniffer dogs in as a deterrent to
bringing drugs onto school property. (The majority of parents,
however, did not support the idea.)

At a recent meeting parents also heard the results of a questionnaire
done at the school by an outside organization. It showed that 108 out
of 200 students that answered the questionnaire indicated that they
would like to see drugs removed from the school entirely.

"That is significant," said Oakley, adding that deep school pride lay
at the heart of the response.

"A significant number of our students, over half, don't want drugs in
the school. That is something we can really work with. Students are
feeling they don't want drugs at the school, and the administration,
the district, the RCMP, everybody is on board with that."

Oakley said there is a zero tolerance policy toward drug and alcohol
use on school grounds and during school hours. Schools are meant to
be drug-free zones and anyone found in possession or under the
influence of drugs or alcohol will be suspended by the school board.
All students receive information in both Grade 8 and Grade 10 on the
dangers inherent with drug and alcohol use to help them make good
decisions. There is also a drug and alcohol counsellor at the school
for students to access if they have questions or concerns, and
parents are always involved where appropriate.

"We firmly believe that the parents and the school are partners and
we want to make sure we are sharing information for the safety and
health of the students; their children," said Oakley.

Marilyn Crichton, chair of the high school PAC, declined to comment
on the issue since it has not been raised at a meeting.

"The issue hasn't come before the PAC and there is always going to be
societal issues and our high school does provide planning and courses
and speakers on drug use, drug abuse and on prevention."

Oakley and the RCMP want youth and adults alike to alert them to any
concerns about drug and alcohol use, and any information shared can
be on an anonymous basis.

"There are a lot of people who think we know things, but we might
not," said RCMP Cpl. Jeff Levine.

"If we know someone is dealing drugs in the school we are just not
going to let that go, absolutely not. We are definitely going to
follow that up. Within this detachment youth is a priority.

"So if parents or students would like to provide information to the
police they can go through Crimestoppers (1-800-222-TIPS ), it is
anonymous, or talk to one of us."

Levine said it is very rare for the police to be called out to deal
with youth abusing drugs and alcohol in the community. He said police
are working hard to form relationships with youth so that if they are
in trouble or need advice they are comfortable calling for help.

" Our job is not just to catch (youth) for the crime. In fact we
would much sooner prevent the crime and prevent some of the kids from
going down the path of drug and alcohol dependencies. If we can do
that and make sure these kids develop into good members of the
community that is the goal."

Growing up in a resort can offer many mixed messages to local youth
since the world is invited to party here and sometimes drinking to
excess is part of the experience.

"It is a balancing act," said Whistler Councillor Ralph Forsyth, who
is also chair of the public relations and outreach committee for
Whistler for Youth.

"We are not Las Vegas and we are not inviting people here to indulge
their vices, and it goes from the escort services to the drug use in
school. We might be in jeopardy of crossing the line and that might
be the feeling in the community. So we need to reassert what our
values are. We are inviting people here for a healthy active
lifestyle... We want you to come here and have the time of your life
and if that involves having a few drinks fine, and people will find
their limit on that, but when it crosses the line then that is when
we have to say enough is enough."

That's important, said Forsyth, because Whistler's youth often view
the young adults who come here as cool and if drinking and drug use
falls into being cool then some kids may copy them.

WFY has adopted two main strategies to deal with the concerns around
drugs and alcohol: Stay On Track and the Second Step Parenting
Program. (To find out more about when the next Second Step program
will run go to www.mywcss.org).

Stay On Track is a public awareness program designed to support
healthy development of children and youth and the Second Step Program
is designed to give parents new tools to deal with their kids.

Forsyth believes one of the most powerful ways to deal with drug and
alcohol abuse in youth is for every community member to take a stand on values.

"It is when each and every one of us says we have had enough," he said.

And Forsyth believes parents need to get involved with their kids in
sport, at school, and at home.

"Kids who eat dinner five times a week with family are 10 times less
likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol," he said.

That advice is echoed by Greg McDonnell, youth outreach worker
supervisor for Whistler Community Services Society.

"I think what is really important is that parents have to increase
communication with their kids and take accountability," he said,
adding that families should start the pattern for communication in
elementary school.

"I think a lot of parents are being very naive and oblivious to the
behaviour and people are quickly casting the blame on the kids, and I
think parents need to take some more accountability for their kids."

Sometimes, said McDonnell, the lack of communication is a result of
fear on the part of parents about who their teens are.

"I know it can be a little alien sometimes and (youths) can be viewed
as little aliens and parents may want to push them away, but you
can't do it," he said.

"You've got to wrap them in and tell them you love them and hug them
and accept them, accept the weird music they listen to, accept that
it is natural to want to post a blog."

McDonnell encourages parents to view today's youth with curiosity
rather than judging them. He would like parents to ask lots of
questions and learn about what their kids are up to and what they
like and don't like.

"That will open the potential for positives rather than perpetuating
all the negatives that adults see in kids these days," he said.

And parents should be connecting with the parents of their kid's
friends. That connectivity sends a strong message to youth that their
community cares about them and is interested in knowing where they
are and what they are doing.

"We do seem to be in this place where there is a real reality check
in our generation," said McDonnell.

"There does seem to be a tipping point of behaviours for the new
generation that we are having a very difficult time comprehending the
realities of."

Survey results suggest strong community

The survey of Whistler youth done in May and June of 2004 was carried
out by the Communities That Care project, an evidence-based program
developed in the U.S. to help communities build positive, healthy
futures for their youth.

It revealed that over two-thirds of the youths from Grade 6 to Grade
12 have used alcohol in their lifetime.

Almost half reported drinking in the 30 days prior to the May 2004
survey date and almost a quarter reported smoking dope in the same period.

The survey also found that 59 per cent of youths in Grade 11 had come
to school drunk or high at least once in the previous year. Overall
24.8 per cent of surveyed students from Whistler had done the same thing.

The survey also found a significant increase in drug and alcohol use
from the lower grades to Grade 9.

In Grade 6, 10.2 per cent of youths said they had used alcohol in the
previous month to the survey. In Grade 9 that number jumped to 43.2
per cent. In Grade 11 it went up to 84.2 per cent and then fell to
82.1 per cent in Grade 12.

Marijuana use jumped to 15.9 per cent for use in the previous month
in Grade 9 from 3.4 per cent use in Grade 8. Its use peaked in Grade
11 at 51.3 per cent.

The survey also found students felt there was a high community
connection and strong family connections. There was also low use of
club drugs, virtually no violence, and no reflection of antisocial
behaviour like vehicle thefts. These indicators are generally
considered highlights of a very strong community.

Whistler For Youth carried out another survey in the spring of 2006,
but the results have not been released to the public. However, WFY
board member Don Brett said the new survey shows little change.

In 2003 The McCreary Centre Society carried out a survey in 1,500
Grade 7 to 12 classrooms in B.C. and found that at age 17 about 78
per cent of youths had tried alcohol. Of those who had tried alcohol
about 46 per cent of boys and 43 per cent of girls had done some
binge drinking in the previous month. Marijuana use was about 37 per
cent. In 1992 the Centre found that only about 25 per cent of youths
reported using dope.