COLD HARD FACTS AVAILABLE FOR YOUTH

It's online, it's gritty, and it doesn't sugarcoat the bitter reality
of drug and alcohol abuse among youth in British Columbia's East
Kootenay region.

The Web site, called staycrystalclear.com is part of Crystal Clear, a
hard-hitting social awareness campaign launched today by Keeping Kids
Safe with a grant from the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

"Drug and alcohol abuse is a huge problem for youth in the Elk Valley
and South Country areas of B.C.," says Donna Leskosek, team leader of
Columbia Basin Resource Society whose organization applied for the
grant along with the Fernie Women's Centre and District of Sparwood.
Leskosek and her project partner Shauna Filgate spend much of her time
dealing with the effects of drugs and alcohol on local families.

"People think small towns don't have big drug problems but the drugs
are here; meth is here. It's a B.C.-wide problem, not just an urban
issue."

In 2004, Leskosek, along with Filgate and Rhonda Shears, protection
social workers with B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Families, founded
Keeping Kids Safe after seeing a growing number of youth in trouble
and in need of services.

Their experience was confirmed by the 2005 East Kootenay Adolescent
Drug Survey by East Kootenay Addiction Services Society, which shows
that the average age crystal meth users first try the drug is 15.

The results also show that as substance use increases, so does the
likelihood that youth will engage in risky behaviours.

For example, 40% of respondents who use alcohol, marijuana and other
drugs reported that their substance use caused them to engage in
unwanted or unplanned sexual activity.

Today, the original Keeping Kids Safe founders have been joined by
youth, community agencies and local governments throughout the East
Kootenay.

The response by kids and parents has been overwhelming but Filgate and
Leskosek remain undeterred.

"We've seen firsthand how drugs and alcohol destroy lives, families
and communities," says Filgate. "We needed to show people what drug
abuse really does and how to get help."

The Web site http://www.staycrystalclear.com/ is designed for youth,
aged 14 to 22, with special sections for parents who want information.
Says Leskosek, "Our message to parents is this: these aren't the same
drugs as 30 years ago.

"Many of the drugs today are so powerful they can lead to instant
addiction and/or instant death. Once can change someone's life forever."

Of particular concern, says Leskosek, is the bush party culture of the
region and the number of adults who feel their kids must be okay if
they are only drinking. "Alcohol is perhaps the most dangerous drug,"
she says, "because it seems so socially acceptable."

In addition to the Web site, the Crystal Clear campaign features
wallet-sized resource cards for youth, titled Booze & Drugs: The
Ultimate Extreme Makeover, and a series of storefront posters that
take a hard look at meth and crack use, buying alcohol for minors,
bush parties and marijuana use.

"The site is geared toward youth in our region," says Filgate, "but
the information is relevant to anyone, anywhere, who wants to know the
truth and see the brutal reality."