Brief Summaries - Substance Abuse Prevention Projects - North
Introduction
When examining the pathways of young people, it has been established that early, persistent delinquent behaviour accompanied by substance abuse, is a strong predictor of adult criminal behaviour. When combined with increases in the rates of self-reported problem use of illegal substances and higher levels of acceptance of drug use among youth, concerns from a crime prevention perspective are warranted. (for more information, see http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/sclbsd-drgbs/index-eng.aspx)
As a result of these linkages, the NCPC supports projects that include addressing and preventing substance abuse.
The following brief project descriptions provide information on some of the projects funded by the NCPC in the North between 2009-2014 that, to varying degrees, worked to prevent substance abuse as a risk factor for criminal behaviour.
These projects may help inspire those concerned about these issues and provide a way to explore approaches to prevention that will be a good fit in communities.
Organization: Public Denominational District Education Authority (Yellowknife Catholic Schools YCS)
Project Title: Do Edaezhe: YCS Leadership and Resiliency Program
Duration: August 20, 2009 – November 19, 2014
This project is delivered to Aboriginal youth from grades 1-12 who exhibit risk factors such as drug use, anti-social and violent behaviour, parental neglect and truancy. Approximately 650 youth will be engaged over the lifecycle of the project. Based on the Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP), this initiative seeks to develop positive relationships, coping strategies and assist youth with positive decision-making and goal-setting. Lesson plans to encourage these skills are developed, stored on a database and shared with other LRP projects. Some components of the LRP model have been modified to better respond to the circumstances of Aboriginal youth. The project will operate for five years and will provide interventions to youth in the four schools within the Yellowknife Catholic School District: Weledeh Catholic School, École St. Patrick High School, École St. Joseph School and St. Joseph's Middle School.
Project activities include resiliency groups focusing on substance use, anger management, peer and family relationships, and goal setting. A community service component helps youth broaden their sense of community well-being by providing opportunities to work with elders and persons with disabilities. Other components include recreational activities, such as indoor/outdoor sports, family activities, mentorship and on-the-land cultural camps. Each activity is designed to increase the participants' competence, their perceptions of self-worth, and provide positive role models. Reduced disciplinary actions in school, improved communication and resiliency skills, increased knowledge of the negative effects of substance abuse and attendant risky behaviours are some of the key indicators the project is monitoring.
For more information on the Leadership Resiliency Program, visit: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/prmsng-mdl-vlm1/index-eng.aspx#toc_5c
Aboriginal Language and Culture Coordinator
P.O. Box 1830
Yellowknife, NWT
X1A 2P4
Tel: 867-766-7400
Fax: 867-766-7401
Organization: Tl'oondih Healing Society
Project Title: A Community Within a Community: A Culture-Based Leadership and Resiliency Program
Duration: November 1, 2009 – January 31, 2015
This project is based on the Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP), a program designed to enhance internal strengths and resiliency in order to prevent substance use and violence among participants. It addresses youth-related crime issues by responding to multiple risk factors, including drug and alcohol abuse, negative risk taking, aggressive and impulsive behaviours, negative relationships with peers, family and community and negative self-image and self-concept. Each year, the programming will reach approximately 210 youth who are 12 to 19 years of age.
The LRP model contains three main project components. Weekly resiliency groups focus on substance use, anger management, peer and family relationships and goal setting. A community service component helps youth broaden their sense of community engagement by providing opportunities to volunteer with elders, younger children, and pet care. The adventure component includes activities such as indoor/outdoor sports and on-the-land cultural camps. Each activity is designed to increase competence, perceptions of self-worth and introduce participants to positive role models. Reduced disciplinary actions in school, improved communication and resiliency skills, increased knowledge of the negative effects of substance abuse and attendant risky behaviours are some of the indicators being monitored.
For more information on the Leadership Resiliency Program, visit: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/prmsng-mdl-vlm1/index-eng.aspx#toc_5c
Tl'oondih Healing Society
P.O. Box 30
Fort McPherson, NWT
X0E 0J0
Tel: 867-952-2025
Fax: 867-952-2733
Organization: South Slave Divisional Education Council
Project Title: South Slave Divisional Education Council Leadership and Resiliency Program
Duration: August 20, 2009 – November 19, 2014
This project is based on the Leadership and Resiliency Program (LRP), a program designed to enhance internal strengths and resiliency in order to prevent substance use and violence among participants. It addresses youth-related crime issues by responding to multiple risk factors, including drug and alcohol abuse, risk-taking, aggressive and impulsive behaviours, negative relationships with peers, family and community and negative self-image and self-concept. Each year, approximately 270 youth 12 to 19 years of age will be reached.
Activities include resiliency groups focusing on substance use, anger management, peer and family relationships, and goal setting. A community service component helps youth broaden their sense of community well-being by providing opportunities to work with elders, kindergarten children and persons with disabilities. Other components include recreational activities, such as indoor/outdoor sports and on-the-land cultural camps. Each activity is designed to increase competence, perceptions of self-worth and provide positive role models. Reduced disciplinary actions in school, improved communication and resiliency skills, and increased knowledge of the negative effects of substance abuse and attendant risky behaviours are some of the indicators being monitored.
South Slave Divisional Education Council
C/O Diamond Jenness Secondary School
Hay River, NWT
X0E 0R8
Tel: 867-874-2194
Fax: 867-874-3163
Organization: Inuvik Justice Committee (IJC)
Project Title: Youth and Family support - Inuvik
Duration: June 18, 2010 – September 17, 2015
Inuvik Justice Committee (IJC) is delivering an intervention program based on the Family Group Conference approach that was designed using Aboriginal cultural principles of family integration. The project includes three categories of activities. Family support sessions strengthen vulnerable families through sharing circles, individual support and the development of plans aimed at addressing the specific risk factors affecting each of the youth and their family members. The risk factors addressed include drug use and/or abuse and the consequent negative attitudes and risky behaviours. The conference component will reach 12 to 18 high-risk families per year.
The second component includes a youth outreach service which offers on-going educational awareness and individualized counselling to participants. At-risk youth aged 6-18 years are the focus of this service.
The final component includes a land-based program which offers additional support to youth and their families to heal and reconnect with their heritage and one another in on-the-land settings. There are three streams to this programming – specific sessions for each gender and one intensive stream where the youth and their families spend time together on-the-land with support from the project staff to address issues and work on healing the family.
Through the emphasis on family healing, it is anticipated that drug use and attendant anti-social or criminal behaviour will decline.
Inuvik Justice Committee (IJC)
P.O. Box 2869
Inuvik, NWT
X0E 0T0
Telephone IJC: 867-777-3181
Telephone Aurora College: 867-777-3298 (#30)
Fax: 867-777-3182
Organization: Rae-Edzo Friendship Centre
Project Title: Rae-Edzo Youth Drop-in Centre
Duration: September 8, 2009 – December 7, 2014
This innovative project provides culturally sensitive, direct interventions to aboriginal youth aged 12 to 19 years that are at risk of criminal behaviour and exposed to multiple risk factors, including early drug and alcohol use, negative peer association and parental neglect and abandonment. Between 25 and 30 youth participate in the project on a weekly basis.
The project includes skills-development workshops designed to build positive attitudes and promote the acquisition of skills required to improve lifestyle choices and a sense of self-worth. Additionally, the project includes recreational and outdoor activities as healthy alternatives to substance use and criminal behaviour. The Friendship Centre offers scheduled programs such as movie night, cooking classes and a talking circle for elementary children. This project aims to equip youth with the skills needed to identify and build protective factors to counteract the risk factors that make them susceptible to drug and alcohol use and involvement in criminal activity.
P.O. Box 85
Rae-Edzo, NWT
X0E 0Y0
Tel.: 867-392-6000
Fax: 867-392-6093
Organization: K'atlodeeche First Nation
Project Title: Helping Youth to Help Themselves
Duration: June 1, 2009 – May 31, 2012
This project was an innovative initiative specifically tailored to the needs of the Hay River reserve, a northern, aboriginal community. The project addressed multiple risk factors, including drug and alcohol abuse, aggressive and impulsive behaviour, unemployment and dropping out of school. The project reached approximately 30 aboriginal children from 7 to 12 years of age who were experiencing multiple risk factors, and aboriginal youth from 13 to 18 years of age who were at risk of criminal behaviour.
To achieve its goals, the project delivered a range of activities, including life skills workshops and personal development sessions to assist participants with building effective communication, basic literacy and conflict-resolution skills. These workshops were administered in both individual and group settings. Employment skill workshops were offered to help the youth develop the labour force skills needed to succeed at work and to build capacity for employability. Recreation and outdoor opportunities were provided to encourage the youth to participate in positive and healthy activities, such as swimming and traditional Dene games. Recreational and outdoor activities were based on traditional activities such as drumming, drum making, camping and trapping. These activities assisted participants in increasing their cultural competency and pride in their heritage.
Katlodeeche First Nation
Box 3060, Hay River, NWT
X0E 1G4
Tel: 1-867-874-6701
Fax: 1-867-874-3229
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