DRUG-PROOFING PROGRAM IS HERE

Education is the best defence.

That's the philosophy behind an upcoming seminar session on drug-proofing kids.

Facilitator Nancy Enns says the program, to be held at Moscrop secondary,
is aimed at both prevention and intervention, particularly for students in
Grade 6 and up.

"Ideally, the target is Grade 6 up to about Grade 10. If they're going to
start experimenting, it usually happens in Grade 6," she said.

The program, titled How to Drug Proof Your Kids - Parents Do Make All the
Difference, was developed by the U.S.-based Focus on the Family
organization, and launched in Canada in 2001.

Enns says programs have been successfully running in Langley, Abbotsford
and Surrey for a year now, but this is its first time in Burnaby.

"Parents do make all the difference, and you can't afford not to take it.
It's a tool that will take you right through," she said.

The six-session series includes information on drug education, teaching
children survival skills to face peer pressure, information about addiction
and a variety of other topics.

Each parent/couple will receive a program manual with notes, exercises and
reference material. Cost is $30 per person or $55 per couple.

The first of the two-hour sessions is slated to begin Tuesday, May 11.