ADDICTION AWARENESS TAUGHT

THIS week has been designated Addictions Awareness Week, but one local
school has decided to take it to the next level.

While the special week ends on Nov. 23, Kildonan East Collegiate will
continue teaching its students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

"This is not something we're focusing on for just one week, this will be a
year-round project for us," said guidance counsellor Stephen Harris. "Drugs
and alcohol abuse is an issue for teenagers all over the country, and
getting the information out to them about the consequences is very important."

Beginning this week, that information was posted on special announcement
bulletins, which are broadcast to the students on televisions located in
each classroom.

Teachers also read these messages aloud, instructing their students to
write the information down.

"By asking students to write down this information, we are ensuring that
they internalize it more," Harris explained. "We've then asked them to
submit the facts they've written down into a draw for an Addictions
Awareness T-shirt. It's nothing ground-breaking, but we hope the messages
will mean more to them this way." Addictions awareness will also set the
tone for upcoming teacher advisor meetings and student assemblies, added
Harris. Videos dealing with drug and alcohol abuse prevention will be shown
to students during these meetings.

"We'll also be getting someone in to speak to the student body, either just
before Christmas break or graduation," Harris said. "As the year develops
and different ideas pop up, they'll be implemented."

To assist area schools in planning Addictions Awareness Week activities,
the Manitoba Addictions Awareness Week Committee (MAAW) distributed English
and French resource kits earlier this month.

The learning activities in the kit are tied to the newly developed physical
education/health education curriculum for Manitoba schools. The kit also
features a Caring Collage contest, so school groups can portray what
actions they are taking to raise awareness of addictions issues.

"These kits are a very effective tool, and they've been very well received
by the community," said MAAW co-chairwoman Carol Standil. "Awareness can be
a powerful tool in making change. Armed with information about substance
use/misuse and problem gambling, we hope to empower individuals and groups
to make healthy choices."

The national kickoff to Addictions Awareness Week was held in Flin Flon,
MB., on Nov. 17. Activities included a Walk for Healthy Choices parade,
awards, entertainment, a celebrity game show, and prizes. "Our goal is to
open a dialogue about the misuse of substances," Standil explained. "Each
community has its own issues, and its own way of addressing them."

Standil, who is also the strategic communications manager for Manitoba
Public Insurance, has been a part of MAAW for six years.

"This issue isn't something that is going to be fixed overnight," she said.
"But, through Addictions Awareness Week, people are getting involved and
talking about it. Kids are thinking about it, and that's the first step."