GROUP EFFORT NEEDED TO BATTLE EFFECTS OF DRUG USE

Presentation Will Focus on Restorative Principles

Everyone in the community has a role to play in addressing substance
use in schools, says one University of Victoria staffer.

Taking a restorative approach to the social issue of drugs in schools
focuses not on the use itself, but the damage that it can do to
relationships, said Dan Reist, an assistant director with the Centre
for Addictions Research of B.C.

"We put ownership back on individuals to be part of the social net,"
he said. "We often respond in a blaming way (which builds a) culture
of distrust in each other."

Instead of pointing fingers, the solutions will lie in rebuilding
broken relationships that are at the root of substance use problems,
Reist added.

Disciplinary action in schools isn't helping the situation. Reist said
research shows punitive responses are counter-productive and create
disconnectedness in youth. School suspensions, for example, don't
allow issues to be addressed in a restorative way.

"I don't think that simply applying restorative principles to offences
solves the entire situation of drugs in schools, but it does provide a
way to address those infractions" by bringing everyone into the
conversation, he said. "It's not just you, it's you inside this community."

Reist will make a presentation next Wednesday (June 17) on the
importance of a comprehensive community approach to substance use.
Hosted by the Oak Bay Restorative Justice Society, the discussion
happens at municipal hall from 7-8 p.m.

Oak Bay Coun. Tara Ney, the society's former chair, feels restorative
practices will make harm-reduction approaches more effective in schools.

"The way our young people behave is all our responsibility. They are
who their community is," she said.

"This is a terrific opportunity for this community to come together -
our young people, our parents, our educators, our police, our council
and other community members - and start to have a conversation about
how together we support our young people to make good choices for
themselves."