These days (and perhaps it’s always been the case), teenage life can be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. As well as dealing with adolescence and developing a sense of identity, they face all kinds of dangers and pressures from peers. Teen soap Hollyoaks regularly deals with teen issues – in fact, it’s currently running a story about drug addiction. Kids certainly know more about the drugs culture than most adults do. At least, that’s what parents reported at one parenting course run by Riverside Church last year. So Riverside decided to do something about it. Earlier this month, they ran a drug awareness event for parents – free of charge as part of Hope08. The event was organised in conjunction with Queensbridge School, Moseley, and the Local Health Authority.
Tony Ayres, seconded from the Police to work as a PHSE advisor to schools, led the informal morning session. The session was opened by Dave from Riverside Church who told his own story of drug addiction and recovery. Tony then took over to explain the ins and outs of drug use and addiction. The session was extremely engaging and informative and even included a session in which the attendees had to identify various mock drugs that were handed around. Tony also covered alcohol, substance abuse, prescribed and performance related drugs. Real life stories, media articles and pictures brought the reality of drug use alive and served to highlight the importance of educating children about the dangers of various substances from an early age. Whilst this session was a great success in educating parents about drugs and addiction, it also highlighted ways of engaging children in talking about these issues. This was a very successful event that really went to the heart of meeting a real need in the community.