A YOUTHFUL FIGHT AGAINST METH

N. Van Group Spreads Word About Drug.

When Aleyna Golinsky was asked to join the North
Vancouver Crystal Meth Task Force, she had no
clue the drug was so prevalent on the North Shore.

"It's made in North Vancouver and sold [in North
Vancouver]. It's in your neighbourhood,"
explained the 20-year-old. "I didn't realize."

After learning more about the depth of the
problem, Golinsky and a group of four others in
their late teens and early 20s -- her sister
Adrianna Golinsky, Denise Wong, Yudi Duque and
Daniela Ugarte -- formed a youth committee that is
leading the task force's youth awareness campaign.

"We're just trying to spread awareness about
crystal meth and the danger. It's really popular
in North Vancouver and people don't know about it," she added.

Since the formation of a North Shore Crystal Meth
Task Force, the young woman have been meeting
once a week to learn more about the deadly street
drug from others, like North Vancouver RCMP Sgt.
Sheryl Armstrong, also a task force member.

Armstrong believes education is a critical tool
in the fight against meth use among teens.

Since she doesn't have a background in the RCMP=92s
drug section, Armstrong, a 20-year veteran on the
force, was somewhat shocked to learn more about
the crystal meth problem in these parts. "I've
talked to three youth addicted to meth who are 13," she lamented.

She feels compelled to work on the task force
because of "the devastating affect it has on youth and their families."

Armstrong believes the insidious spread of
crystal meth -- especially amongst teens =97 must be
stopped now on the North Shore. "We're not saying
there's a big meth problem here but we want to
make sure it doesn't become one."

To help educate the public, the task force's
youth committee has created four portable kiosks
to be set up at rec centres and malls that
graphically demonstrate the horrible consequences of meth addiction.

"[We want] to try and educate them about how
dangerous it is and how much it is in the
community," said Golinsky, who noted that the
youth committee hopes to role out the kiosks --
along with some freshly printed brochures about
the drug -- to the three major North Shore
shopping malls in the coming weeks. Kiosks have
already been set up at North Vancouver rec centres.

Group member Ugarte is currently working on a
crystal meth website that will provide facts
about the drug, a directory of help resources for
parents and teens, warning signs and information
about the long-term damage of the drug.

Golinsky, a BCIT student, is also working with
Duque on creating a Powerpoint presentation.

North Shore Salvation Army community director
Peter Defer bristles when he hears that crystal
meth isn't a problem on the Shore. He=92s on the
front-line daily, dealing with both the addicted
and the parents of the addicted in search of
treatment options. "All that say there is no
problem, it's cropping up here daily."

For more information about the youth committee or
to request a kiosk email crystalmethtaskforce@hot mail.com