KIDS, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS DISCUSSION OF INFO MEETING

More than twenty community residents including students, parents,
school administration and a child and family services representative
came out to a recent Parent Information Evening with a focus on Kids,
Alcohol and Drugs.

The meeting was hosted by the Springfield Regional Committee who, as
a friend of Child and Family Services, felt that families could
benefit from the information provided and presented by Miguel
Lecuyer, a Prevention and Education Consultant from the Addictions
Foundation of Manitoba (AFM).

This same committee hosted a Crystal Meth presentation last year
which was very well received.

Lecuyer introduced himself and explained that for seven years he has
worked as a youth counsellor with AFM and for the past one and a half
years as a Community Prevention Worker. Lecuyer shares information
with youth at schools and facilitates workshops and training for professionals.

"On average, 10 to 12 people usually come out to these types of
workshops," began Lecuyer. "It's very encouraging to see so many out
this evening."

Throughout his one hour presentation, Lecuyer spoke of current trends
and statistics on alcohol and drugs. He helped explain why kids use
and misuse these drugs and offered several parent prevention
strategies. He spent a lot of time interacting with those present and
welcomed their questions.

In resource material left for one's taking, several website addresses
were provided for parents and care-givers, some of which included the
AFM website (www.afm.mb.ca); Drug Free, a resource for parents of
adolescents (www.drugfree.org/Parent); The Anti-Drug, a website also
for parents (www.theantidrug.com/); Street Drugs.Org for parents,
teachers and youth (www.streetdrugs.org/index.htm); and Kids Health a
website for children and teens
(http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/drugs_alcohol/know_drugs.html).

In some additional information left behind, ten steps were shared as
a guide to informing your child about alcohol and other drugs
including strategies that families can use to minimize the chance
that a child will encounter difficulties with substance use when they
are older. There was also information on problems at school, money,
and with the law, personality changes and emotional behaviours,
physical problems, changes in family relations, and drug-specific indicators.

"It is never too late to talk about these things with your children.
Statistically, age 14 is the average that children may start
experimenting," stated Lecuyer.

The Springfield Regional Committee is planning one more information
meeting. A suicide public awareness and education consultant from
Klinic will facilitate this awareness and information evening for
parents, caregivers and other interested members of the Springfield community.

The presentation will be given on Wednesday, April 15 at Springfield
Collegiate beginning at 7:00pm.