FILM ZOOMS IN ON DRUGS

Marijuana, crystal meth, crack, cocaine: These drugs are in our community,
harming our children. Now, addiction experts and School District #35 have
collaborated to begin Project Resiliency, a program dedicated to raising
drug awareness and stopping the drug problem before it escalates out of
control.

"The aim of (the project) is to consolidate expertise in the Langley
community and Langley School District to enhance preventative measures and
general responsiveness to students who are abusing drugs, alcohol and other
substances.

Project Resiliency will develop a coordinated community response that will
lead to the decline of substance abuse among youths in our schools and
community," states their project overview.

"It's time to address the problem before it escalates," said Township
Councillor Mel Kositsky.

As part of the project, Chad Toronchuk was asked to create a 22 minute
video on drug abuse. He wasn't pleased with the videos that were available
and created his own. It premiered Monday night at Brookswood Secondary School.

"The idea came about last summer. We needed something visually better than
videos seen in the DARE program," said Toronchuk.

The video showed a diversity of youths and parents who were drug users.
It's not just low income families or single mothers whose children are drug
users. It could be straight A students, said Tatiana Sean, a street worker
with Families And Youth Services Society. "It could happen to anybody,"
said Project Coordinator Barry MacDonald.

Drug use in Langley is becoming a big issue in the community. Without
proper treatment facilities along with the population, it's hard to measure
how bad the problem is becoming, said Sean.

"We're a community of communities. Some places like Fort Langley and Walnut
Grove are more unaware, but that doesn't mean it's not happening. People
need to quit saying Surrey or Vancouver have the problems, it's a community
problem," she said.

Toronchuk reiterated what many people of the evening said.

"If you think about it, the wrong icons are talking about (drugs). Those
people need to be us, the community, friends, everyone has to talk about
it. Youth need to be involved. It's a community problem," said Toronchuk.

Many people were present at the premier including children from ages eight
to 18, school principals, Township councillors, school board trustees, and
parents.

"We need to start with making contact with kids, building relationships,
talking about drugs, working with parents. We need to shine a light on the
problem and get people talking about it. We need to involve the community,
RCMP and the task force soon. This is a community issue," said MacDonald.

Kositsky strongly supports the initiative, and thinks the movie was very
well done.

He has agreed to suggest to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Crime
Prevention Committee that the video be shown at an upcoming committee
meeting to talk about ideas regarding communities and drugs across the country.

"When it talks about your own community it's very effective," he said. "It
was a good movie, and a good prevention tool. I think how it's delivered
can be used as a way to open up discussions," said Sean.