OVER 400 STUDENTS SURVEYED ON VIEWS TOWARDS DRUGS, SEX

Ask And You Shall Receive.

The High Prairie Partnership Council just completed a survey gauging the
attitudes and behaviours of High Prairie and area youth to drugs, violence,
alcohol and sex. The survey was completed in response to concerns from some
organizations while making presentations earlier this year.

Specifically, High Prairie town council was concerned that statistics
provided by the Partnership Council were American. They wanted local
statistics so the Partnership Council's resiliency committee put together a
survey in response to the concern.

"We needed to have our own stats," says Gay Ramsay, Partnership Council member.

The Search Institute in the USA provided them with the information and
resources for the survey. Results are expected back in about 8-10 weeks.

Questions in the survey included asking students about their attitudes
toward sex, violence, drugs and alcohol. Ramsay says there were several
contentious questions in the survey.

"Have you had sex and drug usage," says Ramsay. "Certainly, we hope none of
our students have had sex," she says. "But that's not the reality."

After the results are received, the next step is to have public meetings to
share the results.

About 400 Grade 6-12 students at E.W. Pratt high school, Prairie River
junior high school and High Prairie elementary school were surveyed.

"Our motto is Healthy Community - Healthy Kids," says Ramsay. "We want High
Prairie to be a good place to raise kids."

Ramsay says she doesn't expect to be surprised by the results of the
survey, that is, she expects similar results to the American statistics.

Ramsay also urges anyone with concerns about the survey to call her at the
AADAC office at 523-6640.