KEEPING KIDS CRYSTAL CLEAR

Gritty Website Gives Kootenay Youth Hard, Cold Facts About Crystal
Meth and Other Drugs

The war against crystal meth has never been so widely publicized; nor
has it ever been so out of control, with a high percentage of youth
admitting they have tried the drug, and many suffering the
devastating effects of addiction.

To help combat the drug's deadly grip, a new website has been created
for Kootenay youth, designed to unsheathe the bitter realities of
substance abuse.

The website, called staycrystalclear.com is part of Crystal Clear, a
social awareness campaign that doesn't sugar coat issues around drugs
and alcohol. The project was recently launched by Keeping Kids Safe,
and was funded by a grant from the Union of BC Municipalities.

"Drug and alcohol abuse is a huge problem for youth in B.C.," said
Donna Leskosek, team leader of Columbia Basin Resource Society.
Leskosek and her project partner Shauna Filgate spend much of their
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."

Leskosek founded Keeping Kids Safe in 2004, along with Filgate and
Rhonda Shears, protection social workers with B.C.'s Ministry of
Children and Families, after seeing a growing number of youth in
substance abuse-related trouble. They knew they were on the right
track when a 2005 survey conducted by East Kootenay Addiction
Services Society showed that the average age crystal meth users first
try the drug is 15. The results also show that as substance uses
increases, so does the likelihood the same youth will engage in risky
behaviour. 40 per cent of respondents who use alcohol, marijuana and
other drugs reported that their substance use caused them to engage
in unwanted or unplanned sexual activity.

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

The website, www.staycrystqalclear.com, is designed for youth aged 14
to 22, with special sections for parents.

"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," said Leskosek, adding that the region's bush party
culture and the number of adults who are OK with their kids drinking
adds to the problem. "Alcohol is perhaps the most dangerous drug
because it seems so socially acceptable."

In addition to the staycrystalclear.com website, 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," said Filgate. "But
the information is relevant to anyone, anywhere, who wants to know
the truth and see the brutal reality."

Visit www.staycrystalclear.com to learn more about Keeping Kids Safe
and www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/community_programs/crime/safe.htm for
information about the Safe Street & Safe Schools Program.