GRAFFITI GETS ANTI-DRUGS MESSAGE ACROSS

Teenagers used their half-term break to take lessons in graffiti
art

A group of County Down teenagers is using graffiti to get across an
anti-drugs message to young people.

The youngsters, from Newtownards, are using art to highlight the
dangers taking drugs can have.

For every great piece of art there is always a blank canvass - even
when it is a wall.

The teenagers used their half-term break to take lessons in graffiti
art and have been displaying their new skills.

Ken Maze of Blaze FX said: "We are doing a drug awareness mural -
working with some of the young people from the area.

"We had a workshop with them yesterday where we sat down with them and
got their ideas and what they thought the negative sides to drugs were.

"We explored how we could put that into a picture and how we could put
a positive measure across using the spray paint."

The pupils have been involved in several workshops

Teenager Robyn McAlonan said: "We came up with frying pans and
shadows, because when people are on drugs they go paranoid and they
think they see things.

"So there is a shadow behind somebody because they think there is
someone following them.

"Their brain is depicted as being fried because they are confused and
they don't know what is going on."