YOUTH TO SURVEY YOUTH ABOUT DRUG PROBLEMS

A survey which will be conducted by youth in the community may confirm that
hard drug useage is a problem for kids in the area.

Melita Caissie, an alcohol and drug counselor from the Nisha Family and
Children's Services Society Astra program, is conducting the assessment
with four local youth.

Youth will be helping with the survey over their spring break, asking kids
to fill out questionnaires at popular youth hang-outs in Maple Ridge and
Pitt Meadows.

"I think that youth will be more inclined to answer to youth," she said.
"There is the idea that there is no problem with youth using heroine,
cocaine and ecstasy, but preliminary results from the research show this is
not the case." Caissie said she works with youth on a regular basis and the
groups tell her the problem exists.

The study results will be presented to police, the school board and the
local MLA's office.

"We're wanting to show people we need more resources out there," she said.
"We need more services for youth and also more services for parents of
those youth. We need counseling services - free services, which are right
now few and far between."

Programs currently in place and service providers trying to help are not
sufficient according to Caissie.

"With some programs you need to go through the ministry...and officers
entering the classrooms in uniform is very intimidating to students," she
said. Caissie believes prevention workers and information related to drug
use are not easily available to youth in the communities.

"We need more support for youth who want more information about drugs.
Youth need to feel comfortable talking about drugs. Not all youth who do
drugs are addicts and not all youth who do drugs have a problem. Some kids
are labeled by people as drug addicts and then they feel like they have to
live up to their title. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy," she said.

The study is a follow-up study to the published report titled, "Filling the
Gaps," by researcher Carol Munro. The report highlighted gaps in programs
for youth at risk in the area. The report indicates alcohol and drug
counseling as the area receiving greatest priority for parents. The Maple
Ridge Alcohol and Drug centre and the Astra program were designated as
available resources with accessible information for youth in the area.

Caissie said the timing for the follow-up study is appropriate. "The timing
is right. The community has an idea about the drugs in the area. Now
they'll learn about what youth are saying about harder drugs in the
community," she said.

Youth involved in the survey, answering questions related to drugs and drug
use will not be asked to reveal their identity.

The final report will be available by April 31. It will be distributed in
the community and on file at the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows libraries.