FAIRVIEW DRUG COALITION HOLDS FORUM TO HELP STOP USAGE

Fairview Post -- Fairview residents had a chance to make a
contribution to the local war against drugs and about 30 people showed
up to take the challenge.

The Fairview Drug Awareness Coalition organized a community drug
prevention forum for Feb. 22. The idea of the forum was to attract as
many people as possible to discuss what the root problems behind drug
abuse in Fairview and area are and what possible strategies might be
tried to combat those problems.

Before discussions began there were presentations on what different
groups are already doing to try and prevent drug problems among youth.

Speakers included Aaron Lloyd, principal of Fairview High School and
Learning Store, Leanne Johnstone, community-school liaison person at
St. Thomas More and E.E. Oliver Schools, Julie Duncan, family-school
liaison worker for Hines Creek, Worsley and Menno Simons, Ingrid
Budgell of the Link Youth Centre, Liz Diego from AADAC in Peace River,
Jocelynne Lauzon, mental health worker for Peace Country Health,
Jordan King, an emergency medical technician-ambulance (EMTA) for
Emergency Medical Services of Peace Country Health, Constable Dang
Nguyen of the Fairview RCMP detachment.

When the forum split up into two smaller groups to discuss some of the
underlying issues, one of the first that came up was access. Young
people have money or access to money as well as access to drugs.

It was felt that drugs were turned to as a social activity, partly due
to peer pressure and partly due to a lack of better role models.

Attendees felt combining access to drugs and money to buy them with
little parental supervision can lead to real problems for
communities.

Strategies that arose from the discussion included offering more
resources to the RCMP, giving the Link Youth Centre more support,
having drop-in sports to give youth something fun and affordable to do
and offering more mentorship programs.

Bringing in specific programs such as "Getting the dope on dope" and a
24-hour hotline for reporting drug dealers anonymously also made the
list of possible strategies. Also mentioned were the need for more
family-oriented community events and the possibility of having a
television-free day or week.

There was discussion of and support for making parents stand up in
court with youth accused of crimes involving drug or alcohol abuse and
going to counselling with them in the case of a conviction.

Social worker Wayne Cardinal, however, said forcing people to do
something just doesn't work.

"You have to do it with compassion," explained Cardinal.

"If I give them attitude, I'm going to get it back doubled or
tripled."

He said that without compassion you can't get through to people and
problems just keep reoccurring.

The strategies that people brought up at the forum will be written up,
discussed at the next Fairview Drug Awareness Coalition meeting and
somehow put into their plan of action.

"The Fairview Drug Awareness Coalition came together in 2004 to
address community concern over the emergence of hard drug use in the
community -- crack cocaine being one of the drugs causing the most
concern," said organizer, Sue Qayutinnuaq.

"The group encourages community participation as they work toward
education, prevention and awareness."