A Dissemination & Train the Leaders Program by Parents, for Parents
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Drugs and Teen Use What Schools Can Do What Parents Can Do What Parent Volunteers Can Do What Parent Leaders Can Do |
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Ideas For School Staff
Review Treatment & Rehabilitation Research
Identify, Counsel, Refer Students
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School Staff Can Review Prevention Research to Ensure that Programs Match
School staff can undertake a number of actions to work with parents to prevent substance abuse. The first step is to review the research on preventing substance abuse among young people. Here are several recent reports. - Impact of Asset Development on Academic Achievement (Search Institute)
There are several trends in the thinking about the approaches that ought to taken in prevention with youth. A review done for Health Canada, Schools, Public Health, and Drugs, by members of the School Health Research Network found that a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach that focused on life skills/social competencies, mental health and social-emotional learning through skills-based instruction, whole school approaches to school climate and linkages with a wide range of mental health services offer the most promise.
Here is a summary for educators in more applied or practical language. This summary has been adapted from Step By Step: A Prevention Handbook on Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Kaiser Youth Foundation, Ministry of Health and Ministry Responsible for Seniors, Government of British Columbia. 1992 and Literature Review: Nova Scotia Junior High School Drug Education Curriculum Supplement 2006. What works
Focus on short-term effects: because youth have difficulty relating to long-term effects, emphasize short-term, preferably social consequences, rather than longer term effects when providing drug-specific information.
Ensure that information is accurate and balanced: acknowledge the benefits that users perceive from their use, and highlight the fundamental relationship between the user, the substance and the context. Information needs to take the form of “utility knowledge” that helps students build relevant and useful skills.
Schools need to promote evidence-based drug education approaches such as the following: v Interactive approaches: Sessions need to particularly emphasize “student to student” rather than “student to teacher” contact, using role-plays, brainstorming, cooperative learning and peer-to-peer discussion. Teachers need to establish an open, non-judgmental atmosphere in order to effectively process these activities. v Social influence model: Social influences programming can be effective, creating greater awareness of media and social influences and developing skills to analyze and reduce their impact. v Normative approach: Normative programming, highlighting the percentage of students not using various substances, and helping students understand that “not everyone is doing it”, can be effective, particularly in the early junior high years. v Life skills model: Adding life skills such as communication, assertiveness, goal orientation, decision-making and stress management – may strengthen program effects when it is tied to drug-related situations or scenarios. v Consider a harm reduction message where warranted: At or just prior to the point where significant numbers of students are using a particular substance (for example, more than 40% past yr use), provide messages that accept some level of use and promote safety and ways of minimizing harm within an overall message emphasizing abstinence as the safest option. v Think long-term: Drug education needs to provide approximately 10 sessions per year; if this can’t be achieved, 3-5 “booster” sessions per year following an initial 10-session module can be effective. v Provide teacher training and support: All in all, teachers who have been trained in interactive instructional methods are best able to deliver a drug education program as intended. v Use outside resource persons with care: Classroom resource persons invited to augment a program need to be able to address curricular goals and work interactively with the students, rather than present an isolated session unconnected with the curriculum. v Strive for comprehensiveness: classroom drug education will be more effective when it is complemented by related school services and policies and a health promoting school environment. What doesn’t work
Panicking over media reports: we often learn of community drug problems through the media. By their nature, various media give strong attention to an issue for a period of time, which can give an exaggerated picture of the drug situation. The history of drug problems is a history of new drugs emerging from time to time – this will not change. It is important to respond adequately to emerging problems but it is also important to recognize that these issues will always be with us and to build adequate community resources that deal with alcohol and other drug problems on a long-term ongoing basis.
Isolated events: A single activity, film, guest speaker, or lesson will have only a short-term effect on an audience. Long-term change in behaviour is more likely when single activities are tied into a comprehensive program (for example, a program with school, parent, and community elements), and provides a strand of preventive experiences for children and youth through the years.
Band-aid or simple solutions: These approaches tend to try to put a quick fix on a problem, almost like sweeping it under the carpet so that it isn’t in full sight. For example, expelling a student from school because of drug use keeps this particular student away from others, but doesn’t address the real issue of drug use by youth in your community. Encouraging students to make responsible choices on graduation night is a good beginning – a next step is to promote those healthy choices throughout the year.
Giving information only: This method sees students loaded down with pamphlets, lectures, and only the technical information on the effects of drugs. Often the information is not age-appropriate, relevant, or helpful in promoting long-term change. It is important to couple this information with skill-building activities and positive alternatives.
Bringing in the experts: It is unrealistic to expect an outside “expert” to solve your youth substance use problems. It is critical for community members to become involved in identifying the problem, and coming up with possible solutions. This gives the community a sense of ownership, and a sense of control over what is happening. You can use the help of an expert, but they cannot be expected to do the work alone.
Scare tactics: Scare tactics have been used in many areas in an effort to discourage a particular behaviour. Scare tactics often portray exaggerated or worst-case scenarios, and youth often react by thinking, “It can’t happen to me.” This may further result in them refusing to listen to the messages being taught. For example, a statistic commonly circulated in Alberta is that 42% of people who try methamphetamine will become addicted the first time, and that 96% become addicted if they try it more than once. There is no evidence to support this claim. The youth we most want to reach with a prevention message—those who have friends who use the drug—probably know the claim is not true from their own observations.
Confusing testimonials: People who have had substance use problems and are in recovery may want to speak about their experience. While they may put a personal face to the issue, their message may be confusing. For example, they may imply that they are better people because of their past substance use problems. However, a speaker may complement your overall strategies if you know and are comfortable with what the speaker will say; the speaker is well prepared; the speaker’s message is consistent with the goals of your community group.
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Compendium of Best Practices in Preventing SA among Youth (Health Canada)
(Search Institute)
Guidelines for Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Developing Social Competence for All Students (ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education)
Safe & Caring Schools (Alberta Teachers' Association)
(Canadian Association for School Health)
(Canadian Association for School Health)
Youth Engagement in Health & Schools (Canadian Association for Schools Health)
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