TCAD LOOKING TO LOCAL TEENS

Youth in the community who are not big into playing sports have an
opportunity to be part of a different type of a team.

At its meeting on Friday, Taber Community Against Drugs (TCAD) decided the
education and prevention subcommittee will look to recruit individuals for
a youth group. Members of the group would do things to improve the
community, provide other youth with things to do in town and eventually
report back to TCAD with input on what youth in town need and are
interested in.

"What we want them to do is to look at the community of Taber and think
about where they could contribute and then plan to do something," said
Terri Wilson, who heads the education and prevention subcommittee of TCAD
and is a teen specialist with Family Community and Support Services.

She added the group would likely assist with some community events already
happening and create new activities for youth as well.

Wilson and other members of TCAD will mostly be looking for Grade 9 and
Grade 10 students and will be going to W.R. Myers, St. Mary's and Ace Place
schools to do some of the recruiting. Wilson added they are also wanting to
attract people between 20 to 30 years old to help head the youth group.

Along with what they do to help other youth in the community, the group
would meet at least once a week to do something fun and get acquainted with
each other.

TCAD includes a Youth Action Panel (YAP), which is made up of six students
from W.R. Myers. A couple girls on YAP did a presentation on addictions to
Grade 4 and Grade 5 students in town recently.

Those students are invited to assist in the development of the youth group
TCAD's education and prevention subcommittee is working on establishing for
the 2007/2007 school year.

"We're building on it (the YAP program). We are not stopping anything. We
are just transitioning into something a little different," said Wilson.

At TCAD's meeting Friday, Taber Police Service Insp. Graham Abela
emphasized Taber is unique in how it has a lot of youth involvement when it
comes to drug education and prevention initiatives.

Kerry Milder, a member of education and prevention, added provincial
funding is available for youth-driven initiatives.

"The Health Canada Drug Strategy Fund wants to promote anything where youth
are involved in drug prevention," she said.

TCAD applied for a $3,000 grant through AADAC and Wilson said if the
application is approved, the group will use the funds to develop the youth
group and for initiatives the youth choose to do.

TCAD expects to hear back in the middle of this month if it is receiving
the grant.

An information meeting on the youth group will be held at the end of this
month, so youth and leaders of the group could start meeting at the
beginning of June.

Anyone interested, or wanting more information, can call Wilson at
223-4403, extension 237.