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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Educators are ramping up the fight against substance abuse after school surveys last year showed a high percentage of students were using drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

In an open letter to parents in October, Weledeh Catholic School principal Simone Gessler said that as part of the Committee for the Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse initiative, the school will hold talks with students on the dangers of illegal substances, because middle school is where children begin to have exposure to drugs and alcohol, according to Gessler.

"It's better to be proactive rather than reactive," she said.

In the letter, Gessler outlines the measures the school will take when a student is suspected of using drugs or alcohol, including body and locker searches.

She also noted the school is working on an original series of parental information sessions covering depression among youth, substance use and abuse, suicide, cutting class and cyber-bullying.

The Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse in Middle School Survey was released in March 2011. It reported about five per cent of the 436 Yellowknife youth surveyed, between the ages of 11 and 16, have used marijuana at least once, while about five to 12 per cent between the ages of 12 to 16 have used it more then once.

"Today it's crazy. Just crazy," said Garry Hubert, executive director of SideDoor Youth Ministries. Hubert said he's known of children as young as 11-years-old who are either using or dealing in drugs and that the lure of easy money, street cred, and problems at home are some of the factors that entice youth into substance abuse today. Hubert and his staff have taken measures to speak to youth about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and its consequences.

"(Substance abuse) is systemic in the NWT and we as a school group can't control kids but we can give them options," said Michele Thoms, the St. Patrick High School student and adult adviser for the Students Against Drinking and Driving program. "We can teach them it's not OK to drink. We can teach kids to make good decisions and say 'No' and be good role models."

In partnership with schools, the Yellowknife RCMP has been visiting schools with the D.A.R.E. and R.E.A.L. programs.

According to the 2009 Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey, there are marked differences between drug use by youths and adults. While the results of the 2009 survey indicated that overall cannabis use among youth was on the decline from previous years, it was still higher at 26.3 per cent than that of adults at 7.6 per cent.

"There are so many things we can do as a community to help kids and give them positive alternatives," said Thoms.

The Committee for the Prevention of Youth Substance Abuse is a partnership between Yellowknife School Division One, Yellowknife Catholic Schools, RCMP, GNWT, Yellowknife Health and Social Services Authority, and the City of Yellowknife.

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