It’s Your Choice – Substance Misuse Awareness Days - Award Winners!

Many people are concerned about substance misuse among young people in our communities. One of the ways of tackling this growing problem is to provide young people with education and help them make informed choices. 4 years ago a local partnership was set up to look at providing a consistent message about substance misuse to school pupils in Cambuslang and Rutherglen. The partners from Cambuslang and Rutherglen Community Health Initiative, Strathclyde Police, NHS Glasgow & Clyde / Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council developed the event “It’s Your Choice”. The project targets Primary 6 – Secondary 1 school years. The Primary 7 classes receive a resource for completion within school time or as home work while the Primary 6 and Secondary 1 pupils attend half day events in the Cambuslang Institute. The workshops cover all areas of substance misuse – alcohol, drugs and smoking as well as considering the broader health effects.
After their attendance at the days the Primary 6 pupils are asked to complete an art project producing a poster providing a substance misuse awareness message. A number of the posters are chosen to be included in a term time calendar and is distributed to all the Primary 6 pupils and schools. All the partners involved also distribute them at events throughout the year.
Three years ago the partnership, fronted by the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Crime Prevention Panel, were successful in receiving money from the BIG Lottery Fund to allow the project to run for 3 years. Plans are now also underway to look at how the project can be continued past the current funding.
A presentation event was held in September for those pupils who participated in the 2009-10 events. As well as presenting the pupils with a framed copy of their poster and a certificate all partner agencies also received a certificate. The project had been nominated for a MENTOR UK CHAMP award (promoting Children’s Health through Alcohol Misuse Prevention) and received a certificate of merit for the work that has been carried out. The winning pupils and partner organisations can be seen in the photo below  with Provost Russell Clearie who presented the certificates on the day.