EDSONITES CAN DRUG PROOF THEIR NEW YEAR

Drug Proofing Your Kids Is Possible.

That's what parents will soon learn when the Edson and District Drug Action
Coalition holds a course "How to Drug Proof Your Kids" this month.

Six Edsonites became facilitators for the course last October and are ready
to put what they learned into action.

The facilitators will teach other parents about drug prevention and how to
communicate with their kids.

"The same principles can be applied from birth to the time when your
children leave home. There are very few courses with that flexibility,"
said facilitator and co-chair of the Drug Action Coalition Edith Zuidhof-Knoop.

She has already received good feedback from parents who see the course as a
confidence builder.

"Parents are overwhelmed because the world their children are growing up in
is very different from what they experienced as young people," explained
Zuidhof-Knoop.

Topics covered include the potential effects of drug abuse, why kids use
it, good choices to educate children, prevention, intervention and how to
handle relapses.

The need for the course was identified after a survey report, prepared by
the Drug Action Coalition last August, showed that youth prefer information
on drugs to come from parents and other adults in the community.

"That's when we realized it's important to be able to provide guidance to
youth who have concerns about those issues," she said.

The coalition then asked for help from Carpe Diem Ministries executive
director Klaus Ewikowski who runs a residential rehabilitation program for
street and at-risk youth.

At the time, Ewikowski and his wife were teaching the course "How to Drug
Proof Your Kids" in Evansburg. After being approached by the coalition,
they trained Edsonites to become facilitators.

Now these recruits are ready to pass on the knowledge.

"As a coalition we recognize that we can't be the only people in the
community that provide that support. This way parents can do it too," said
Zuidhof-Knoop.

"All these people have full-time jobs, are parents and now they're teaching
the course. That really tells us this is something really important to
them. They believe in what they're doing and want to share the positive
information with other parents in the community," added Zuidhof-Knoop.

"The course is excellent from the perspective of a parent and educator,"
said Yellowhead Koinonia Christian School (YKCS) principal Diane Stelter.

"Any parent would benefit from it."

Ewikowski and Stelter agree that it's a good idea to take it earlier rather
than later because it teaches parents about communication with their kids.

"If you can't communicate with your four-year-old, you won't be able to at
age 14. Their habits have been cast in stone. As soon as you have kids in
school, you should be attending. (Otherwise), the peer group will take care
of educating them," said Ewikowski.

Stelter and YKCS teacher Debbie Cusson will teach the course starting Jan.
25 at YKCS. Zuidhof-Knoop and Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church pastor Trish
Schmermund will facilitate the course starting Jan 27 at the FCSS Family
Centre.

Each course runs once per week for six weeks from 7 to 9 pm. The cost is
$20, which includes a manual to take home.

Deadline for registration is Jan. 18. To register, call Laurie McCalllum at
723-5494.