BAD ATTENDS DRUG PROOFING KIDS SEMINAR

Learning how to recognize substance abuse within your kids was a big
part of the agenda at the March How to Drug Proof Your Kids
facilitator training held at the Kamloops Indian Band in Kamloops.

"This all started a year ago when we formed Barriere Against Drugs
(B.A.D.)," said B.A.D. core member Jean Davison, "We planned to take
this course and applied for a grant to pay the cost."

B.A.D. was successful in obtaining the grant and eight members
attended the training on Mar. 3 and 4. Attending were Jean Davison,
Michelle Young, Shelley Piva, Rick Jacques, Mary Ann Canaday, Angie
Czynski, Caroline Duval and Elizabeth Weller.

"The whole course was awesome," said Davison, "We covered numerous
items including how parents can tell if their kids are using. How they
act. Do you really know your child? How to find out if they are
alcoholics. How parents can learn to understand drug usage."

Davison said emphasis was placed on Prevention Tools for Parents; what
to do, how to recognize substance abuse, how to get support, and how
to intervene.

"We covered 11 threats to recovery which include guilt, loneliness,
underachievement, and lack of self-esteem," said Davison, "It was an
extremely good course with a great social worker/teacher there who
gave us lots of stats and was a great 'book of knowledge' for us all."

Barriere resident and course participant Angie Czynski said, "I found
it interesting, there were some statistics about drug use that I was
unaware of and there was a lot of information presented with the course."

Czynski said she felt the course was a great tool in learning how to
teach kids about drugs before they are faced with the challenges of
saying no to drugs.

"We learned that kids up to Grade 4 are the best ones to target to
prevent drug use," said Czynski, " This is before they are exposed to
drugs. Stats show it is too late to target children age 10 and up,
they have already been exposed."

She stated that she found the course's greatest strengths were in
preventative education for parents of younger kids especially those in
the primary Grades.

Davison says the group returned to Barriere with a large supply of
informative booklets and brochures that are available to anyone at the
North Thompson Volunteer and Information Centre.

"There is great information about the different kinds of drugs and how
to recognize them. We encourage parents to stop by and pick them up or
they can call me or Lisa at the Volunteer Centre." said Davison.

In all approximately 16 people from around the region attended the two
day training.

"Now we look forward to being able to share what we learned and what
we brought back with the parents and families within our community,"
said Davison.

Jean Davison can be reached at 672-9216 or call Lisa Quiding at the
Volunteer Centre at 672-0033.

Barriere Against Drugs is a community organization formed in 2005 to
address community concerns regarding substance abuse.

The group offers educational materials and videos, operates a
volunteer community patrol, supplies support information for parents,
families and individuals with substance abuse problems, and works with
the local Nar-Anon.