HI(R)GRND GETS BOOST FROM CORPORATE WORLD

Fraser Cascade School District's drug awareness website has secured
new funding to take their program to the next level and give students
a new skill set while doing it. Intervention and education help is
available for students fighting the pressure to use drugs through a
medium they know best.

Fraser Cascade School District #78 and Hope Web Development Firm have
paired up to bring them Hi(R)GRND, an anti-drug website complete with
content created for teens by teens and with stories from rock bottom
from peers they can relate to. Rudy Kehler, of The Simplify Company,
one of the School District's project partners knows that kids are
internet savvy.

"They watch online videos, enjoy online games and use social networks
to share information. (This site) uses this interactive model to
provide a platform where teens can enjoy an immersive, interactive
online experience that entertains while teaching them more about
substance abuse."

It has edgy graphics, a section where teens can post responses to
thwart off peer pressure, as well as statistics that relate to them.
They can learn, for example, how often alcohol is present in teenaged
drownings (1/3 of the time) and in what grade teens are most
susceptible to drug and gang pressure (Grade 6). The website, geared
to Grades 5 - 10, gives teens a voice and a chance to make a
difference among their peer group.

"The site features videos starring local teen heroes who choose to
tell their own stories. They reveal how they got started with drugs,
what it's like to become addicted and how they kicked the habit," says
Wendy Colman, SD #78 prevention coordinator. Sharing their stories
benefits all students, whether in prevention or intervention.

"By using their own stories to reach out to their peers, they provide
inspiration and guidance in a friendly learning space as they help
others move towards a drug free future," says Colman. Though the site
is geared toward students, they aren't the only ones who will benefit
from it. It also gives their teachers something to work with in terms
of personal awareness and a resource to direct students toward.

"We are excited about the release of the Hi(R)GRND interactive
website. This website hosts numerous, relevant information bits that
can be used by teachers and students as they engage in the key
learning's identified in the district's integrated curriculum to
reduce drug and alcohol dependency," says Dr.Wes Neumeier, the
district's previous Superintendent. He is encouraged by the tools the
students now have at their fingertips.

"By exploring the various web links and information pieces available
through Hi(R) GRND, we are hopeful that students will have the
opportunity they need to improve their decision making and solve
personal life problems in ways that develop their resiliency," he says.

"This innovative initiative for school districts reaches out to
students beyond the classroom and targets students from grades 5 - 10
who may be considering drug use or who are already experimenting.
Students develop new skills while learning to create content for the
site to offer drug education kids can identify with and use," says
Colman.

Even those students enmeshed in a drug problem can be reached by the
medium in a way parents - who might not even be aware of the problem
in some cases - and other adults cannot. Stories of getting out and
getting help from fellow teens speak louder than any catch phrases
grown-ups can conceptualize. In their local research, the school
district found that teenagers tend to look to their peers for their
drug information, not trusting adult originated anti-drug messages. By
giving them a place to support each other and receive accurate
information in an appealing and unintimidating way, teens are more
likely to become engaged and informed.

But this doesn't mean the end of adult involvement.

"The interactive website, combined with classroom tools and resources,
provides an interface between the classroom and the online community
for teens to learn more about drug addiction and recovery," says Colman.

District schools have learning opportunities for students to work in
sharing their prevention messages through media culturally relevant to
them. They can take those messages online and compete in video
challenges by going viral where others can vote on their favorites
through social networks, like Facebook and YouTube.

This special prevention project has been developed by the school
district for the past three years and new corporate funding is
enabling them to bring it to their students. The site went live in
October 2008. Their development partners include The Simplify Company,
Abendago, Bear Image Studios, and Inukshuk. Moving the project
forward, their partners are Envision, Aboriginal Education Committee;
and TELUS Vancouver Community Board.

"The TELUS Community Board contributed $11,000.00 to take this
initiative to students and communities throughout the Fraser-Cascade
as a step toward prevention education and creating resiliency in the
youth of today," says Colman. This funding will ensure that the
worthwhile project continues to make a difference and takes it to the
next level.

"The most recent corporate funding contributions will enable us to
take our prevention message to classrooms from Grade 7-12. Further,
this funding will enable us to work with Grade 10 students in learning
about prevention through developing a new skill set which includes
script writing, learning about substance dangers and realities,
filming, acting, laying track, editing, adding music and uploading
content to the site through the site administration," says Colman.