Prevention
With project s.t.e.p.’s help, Ottawa’s four school boards are enhancing their substance abuse education and prevention programs in all high schools, including non-traditional academic settings, in the Ottawa area.
Until now, only some high schools were providing school-based support to students who are dealing with substance abuse — some at a low level of service, not reaching enough students or not reaching students as often as they should.
The Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation (OCRI) is coordinating the implementation of this enhanced addiction education and prevention program. The Substance Abuse and Youth in School (SAYS) Coalition, the four school boards, youth-focused addiction treatment agencies, professionals in the enforcement, health and social services sectors, teachers and student support professionals are working together to implement the program in all the high schools. Responsible for delivering the program to English high schools lies with Rideauwood Addiction Services, while Maison Fraternité will deliver the program in French high schools.
Program components:
- Outreach and Awareness to gather information and engage key community organizations and people in addressing youth substance abuse issues.
- Education and Training to deliver education sessions to youth; educate parents about parenting in the context of substance abuse and addiction; and train school staff to recognize the signs of substance abuse and the importance of working in partnership with professionals, students and families.
- School-based Counselling to develop a core team at each school to work with the assigned addictions counsellor; establish a counsellor at each school to train the core team and all staff, counsel students, communicate with parents, and hold education sessions for parents and students in the younger grades (6-8).
- Evaluation and Information-Sharing to collect data in order to evaluate the results of the program; and develop a model for establishing similar programs in rural Ottawa.
Program Model PDF
