AN ODE TO HAZARDS OF DRUGS

Ode has a face and innards only a mother could love and his message is
even more ugly. Do drugs and you too can look like me. The life-sized
papier-mache mannequin, "sliced open" to reveal its unhealthy organs,
is a Future Cents project aimed at drawing attention to the ills of
illicit drugs.

Now fully assembled and painted, complete with blue jeans and running
shoes, OD (his real name) is ready to face the public and be used as a
teaching tool in the community.

He will be accompanied on his mission by a flow chart and power points
describing the adverse effects of taking drugs like opium, heroin,
ecstasy, crack cocaine, cannabis and methamphetamine.

Owen Bala is the mannequin's creator. From start to finish, the
government-funded youth project took about six months to complete.

"I named him OD (pronounced Ode,) I thought it would be better to show
him cut open but since I'm not a doctor, I had to guess at what things
would actually look like inside. For instance, I didn't know if the
organs might be overlapping. So I had to look that up. I also wanted
it to look cool so people would take notice of it so I painted the
parts so they'd stand out."

Bala used anatomy pictures and diagrams from a medical book to
research and learn where the organs lay, he said. For the rest, he
used his creative imagination.

"Ode will be displayed at Nechako Youth Detox Centre, beside the
hospital. He'll be in a coffin but can be stood up. The idea behind
this project was to let people know the damage that can be done to the
body from drugs."

The Future Cents youth program is funded by Service Canada and
Ministry of Children and Family Development and provides a range of
services for youth by youth. YAP (Youth Around Prince George) program
is located across from City Hall.