Program helping to fight Meth problem

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The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) is offering training and resources to help people understand the issues surrounding the use of Crystal Methamphetimine (MA) through the Prevention Awareness and Community Education (PACE) Crystal Meth program.

Both a 16-hour certificate program and a 30-hour specialist program are available through PACE. Both programs offer training on an array of issues related to MA use and production, said PACE co-ordinator Cherylee Highway.

This program has been in effect since May of this year. Highway said she and the five other facilitators involved in PACE have trained more than 400 people in Saskatchewan. First Nation community front line addiction workers are the optimal trainees for the program, she said.

"One thing that's very important about our program is that it's a prevention awareness and community education program," said Highway. "We are not intervention or treatment."

Participants in both programs receive a resource manual, videotape, binder and a guide. All of the resource material has been produced at SIIT by Diana Barr, the institute's writer and consultant, who drew on information from professionals in the neuroscience field, literature reviews, updates provided through medical professionals and community members who have experienced and used MA.

"It's a broad based platform of our resource materials," said Barr.

From the information SIIT has been receiving from communities, particularly in Saskatchewan, it appears MA is something that is just starting to be a problem in many areas. The PACE program can play a role in addressing the problem now, before it reaches epidemic proportions, Highway said.

"What they are saying is that the prevention approach we are taking is certainly keeping it away from communities and helping to increase the information and knowledge that people have so they can develop plans, prevention programs and strategies," said Highway. "We know when you have those things in place you do have the potential to reduce the amount of abuse of that drug in the community."

As apart of the program, Barr said that both the facilitator and the participants of the program fill out an evaluation at the end of the presentation. She said that all of the responses so far have basically spoken to the strengths of the program.

Barr read a quote from the evaluation completed by a 13-year-old who took part in one of the training sessions. "Many times we are told not to take MA but it was only after taking the PACE training program that we understood why we should not be taking MA," the form read.

"Our focus is to provide information in extensive detail. We avoid the stereotyping that has unfortunately accompanied this drug and we ensure there is a scientific neuroscience base to it in terms of understanding the brain issues associated with this particular drug. We make sure that our training program is very interactive, community-based and positive in terms of building solutions," Barr said.

Barr explained that the interactive component of the program is more than just sitting and learning. "It's sitting, learning, thinking, seeing and doing."

That interactive portion sees participants creating posters and slogans, taking part in small group discussions and even putting together skits that demonstrate some of the affects of MA use.

According to Highway, the location and the number of participants determine the fee of the program. The PACE program can facilitate to as many as 30 participants but the target group is 20.

"It's an affordable program and you are getting excellent resources," said Highway.

Although PACE is Saskatchewan-based, the program is offered right across the country. Sessions have already been offered in Alberta and Manitoba, and the program will soon be travelling to the Yukon, Labrador, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Ontario.

The PACE program is also receiving much interest from outside interest groups such as th RCMP, people in justice, teachers, educators and guidance counsellors.

"They are all phoning us to gain information about our program and it's great," said Highway. "If there's an interested party out there or group, we are open to developing working relationships with them."

For more information about PACE, visit the program Web site at www.paceprogram.ca. The Web site also contains information about Community Action Against Crystal Meth, a conference taking place in Saskatoon Nov. 28 to 30 presented by SIIT along with Health Canada, Saskatchewan Health, the Prince Albert Grand Council and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council.