MAGAZINE TARGETS CRYSTAL METH CROWD

Art Seen As A Tool To Share Practical Information Among A
Hard-To-Reach Group

"So you want to try crystal meth? Well here's a way to work yourself
up to it

first grab a bottle smash it shove in your nose or in your veins.
Second nearly twitch yourself to death, scream your lungs out. third
get the ... beaten out of you by cops druggies anyone actually and if
you survive that without dying or wanting to do it every night for a
year, if your still ok go ahead and o meth you've earned it."

- - excerpt from Vol. 1/2006 Flail

Call it a zine of troubled times. Two agencies working with street
youth are urging youths using crystal meth or at risk of using it, to
write about their thoughts for publication.

The magazine Flail is part of a project called Bridging the Gap that
aims to get kids to deliver meaningful messages to others either using
or on the precipice of using crystal-meth.

Janet Champion, manager of youth outreach at the YM-YWCA and one of
the project partners, said traditional street outreach efforts such as
offering food doesn't work well with crystal meth users since the drug
suppresses the appetite.

Leah MacInnes, a therapist and project supervisor, termed the project
groundbreaking, as it asked youths "what would attract them and they
said some kind of art-based group. We're hoping that it doesn't end
there and once we have a relationship with them that we'll learn more
and find out why they don't access services.

"A lot of people see this and think we're just doing art and stuff
with kids. But we have a very high success rate at what we do. Harm
reduction is the way to go," said MacInnes.

The first issue of Flail, published in April, featured poems, artwork
and stories by unnamed contributors.

"I was really impressed with the calibre and writing," said MacInnes.
"The kids really worked hard to put meaningful message together and
responsible messages. We haven't had people glamourize [drug use]."

In addition to the zine, the $82,000-a-year project by the Y and the
Victoria Youth Clinic will have a theatre component in which street
youth will create a production expressing issues around being on the
street and being at risk or using drugs. A UVic team will evaluate the
success of the project, which has funding from backers that include
Health Canada and the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

Champion said "a huge part is to get correct medical information to
kids" but the traditional sources are often regarded with suspicion.
Under this project, health information would come from peers.

Contents of the zine would also be available on a website offering an
"anonymous and safe way to get accurate information." Flail is
distributed by the youth involved.

Dr. Doug McGhee, medical director of the downtown Victoria Youth
Clinic, said the zine project offers a chance to tap into the
knowledge of people who have experienced addiction. "They know what it
takes for them to get out it. Looking back, they know the factors that
took them there in the first place and the factors that got them there."

He said the shared stories offer valuable information on "harm
reduction and how to stay alive. They've worked all the possibilities.
Anything we wrote wouldn't have the surprising detail" and zine
participants are also participating in their own treatment plan and
furthering their recovery by articulating those lessons.

MacInnes said the zine group runs out of a number of locations in
town. "Basically it's an art group. A drop-in program where they can
do any kind of art they like -- writing, poetry. ... we're trying to
get their voices heard. Kids will listen to kids.

"Our hope is that they will be able to educate each other, promote
harm reduction and promote health. We're just coming at this from a
different angle."