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Program Updates |
Keepcontrol.ca
The Keepcontrol initiative is now into its third year of implementation and is set to continue until December 2008. Several exciting new developments over the past year have contributed to the success of this project.
In keeping with the objective of engaging our target audience in the delivery of project material, we have been working with a group of students from the University of Ottawa to bring the material to first year students living in residence. Statistically first year students in residence have a higher than average propensity to binge drink. Working with these students through a peer-to-peer model we hope to offer suggestions as to how to minimize risk when drinking and educate them on safety procedures if they encounter a situation where someone is in trouble as a result of excessive drinking.
Work is also underway with the Thunder Bay health unit to broaden the reach of the project to engage aboriginal youth in developing messages that are important to them in relation to risky drinking practices. A conference was held in Thunder Bay where a group of 30 First Nation students and 15 educators/health promotion experts met to discuss messaging options and strategies for dissemination to aboriginal youth in Northern Ontario. Many important issues were raised. The young people felt messaging needed to focus on the importance of family and how drinking to excess damaged their family unit. Students felt that addressing suicide was very important; they felt that all too often excessive drinking resulted in one of their peers or family members resorting to a suicide attempt as a mechanism of coping.
Working with the students who attended the conference, Keepcontrol messaging is currently being modified to capture the essence of the information provided. Production of new material is underway and the new information will be ready for dissemination at the start of the school year in September. As always we encourage you to visit our websites for more information: keepcontrol.ca or gardecontrole.ca.
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