Aboriginal youth are at a significant risk of becoming involved in substance abuse. Studies have shown that youth of First Nations, Métis and Inuit descent are of the highest abusers of illicit drug use in Canada (Scott, 1997; Framework Sub-committee of the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation & Thatcher, 2000).
According to the 2002–2003 First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey, although the documented rate of illicit drug use in the past year is low (7.3%) among First Nations, it is still more than double the rate of the general Canadian population (3.0%)(First Nations Centre, 2005). Recently drugs that are being injected are becoming an important issue with respect to the transmission for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2004). A 2003 study done in Vancouver found that the rate of infection of Aboriginals was double to that of non-Aboriginals (Craib et al., 2003). The rate of morbidity resulting from the use of illicit drugs is three times higher for Aboriginals than for the general population (7.0 per 100,000 vs. 2.6 per 100,000 (Scott, 1997)). Volatile solvent abuse is of great concern with one report stating that half the children under 18 living on a reserve in Pauingassi First Nation in Manitoba were abusers (O’Brien, 2005, August 24).
In Waswanipi schools, many factors play a role in affecting our youth’s choice to abuse drugs. Substance abuse can be connected to high rates of poverty, unemployment, family breakdown, and social and economic structures. For some youth the belief is that using drugs will alleviate the pain they experience in areas of their life that seem unbearable.
In the report, No Safe Haven: Children of Substance Abusing Parents, it concludes that:
• Children of parents who have a drug and alcohol addiction are almost three times more likely to be physically or sexually assaulted, and more than four times more likely to be neglected than children of parents who are not substance abusers
• Children of substance-abusing parents suffer low self-esteem, depression, self-mutilation, suicide, panic attacks, truancy, and sexual promiscuity, and will replicate later in life the drug and alcohol abuse problems they witnessed in their parents (National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1999)
What are we doing in our schools to prevent the substance abuse among Aboriginal youth?
Increasing the knowledge that youth and students have about drugs is providing them the opportunity to make an educated decision when presented with a situation involving drugs.
It is important to note that culture can have a significant impact on fighting substances. Protective factors such as culture need to be addressed. A sensitive and understanding approach is necessary for our program to reach our youth successfully.
To ensure program effectiveness and relevancy, especially in long-term programs, we plan to involve our students actively in program development. Having the youth perspective can help address key issues that might not be known to different generations; getting insight into the youth population will help us identify that generation’s values and associated behaviours. It is also vital to the development of drug abuse prevention programs, and health promotion programs in general, to involve the program target audience in the needs assessment, program development, design and evaluation of the concerned programs. Incorporating youth into the decisions that affect them serves to improve the effectiveness of all health promotion strategies.
The project we have in our school is geared towards the following outcomes:
1. Increased resiliency to drug use among youth-at-risk
2. Reduced risk behavior among youth-at-risk
3. Preventive substance use programs and practices are addressed, implemented and pursued in schools, homes, hospitals and communities
4. Increased capacity, knowledge and awareness of youth, parents, teachers, health and other professionals on issues of substance abuse and its prevention
Education isn’t enough to fight the substance abuse issues in our communities. Preventing substance abuse is a constant battle and without strong efforts from local communities and organizations that focus on substance abuse prevention nothing will change. As a community, everyone must work together to make changes or ‘break the cycle’; youth must take the lead here.
We know that our Youth are able to spearhead projects that are youth focused and youth managed; projects that will allow them to express their views about substance use within their school and out into our community.
