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(With Carlton Hall LLC) Each webinar was interactive and elaborated on discussions suiting the topic. The webinar series showcased that prevention is a necessity and an art that has to be crafted in every aspect possible. Science has proven that evidence-based prevention work works and established safe environments for children to grow up into a drug-free adulthood.
Webinar I: Foundation of Prevention Through Prevention Science
Prevention is an important field and has seen a 30-year long revolution, but has only been integrated recently. It is gaining more momentum now but is still often neglected. More often than not, treatment receives most of the attention from policymakers and receives funds. However, prevention is significant and necessary in reducing demand and provide a safe developing environment for children and adolescents. To implement the strength of prevention, policymakers need to step onboard [through lobbying] and prevention workers need to be trained to become prevention specialists.
Read the full summary here!
Webinar II: Research and Policy of Prevention
Successes of prevention science translated into policy were highlighted since it is not often reflected upon. Challenges and possibilities to move forward in the future also were showcased. The use of science in policy is promoted, especially around a safe development of youth to grow into healthy adults. Successes will in the future hopefully overshadow the challenges that are currently faced. Leading to more [political] support to evidence-based prevention practices.
Read the full summary here!
Webinar III - Practitioners of Prevention (best-practices)
International Conventions need to be adhered to. Care and protection should be provided and evidence-based prevention intervention has to be carried out before there is a need for treatment. The benefits of prevention in the context of low/limited resource setting needs to be addressed. There is a benefit of working with young adults in schools, playgrounds, communities, and homes. Prevention really works and support and funding should be provided.
Read the full summary here!
Webinar IV - Gender-Based Violence Prevention Approaches
Gender-based violence (GBV) means that the acts inflicts physical, mental, or sexual harm, suffering, threats, or coercion and deprivations of liberty. It can also be termed as an act done to someone against their will as a result of gender norms and unequal power relationships. GBV often involves crimes of power intending to degrade, humiliate, and subjugate victims. GBV survivors need to be supported and shown fundamental respect for their wishes, rights, and dignity while ensuring confidentiality, safety, and security. At the same time, governments need to take part in creating societal change by providing prevention measures.
Read the full summary, including on how to start the change, here!
Webinar V - Marijuana Prevention
Marijuana evidence-based prevention interventions and mechanisms are necessary in a world where the big marijuana industry is pushing for legalisation. They are targeting youth to consume while the potency of the drug has increased immensely, which increased negative health effects are yet unknown. However, it is already proven that drug addiction in adulthood starts in adolescence and that marijuana use in adolescence leads to many long-term negative health effects. Therefore, advocacy and talking to the youth remains necessary to make people aware of the evidence-based facts.
Read the full summary and get access to various resources here
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AOD Primary Prevention & Demand Reduction Priority Primer:
TASKING THE NATIONAL HEALTH STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY WELL-BEING.
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The Dalgarno Institute has long advocated for an anthropological approach to the cultural ‘symptom’ of substance use. Drug use invariably causes (at the very least) some level of harm to both the drug user (their health and well-being) or that of their family and community. On an ever-growing number of occasions, drug use creates a veritable maelstrom of disturbing outcomes and harms – most of which cannot be ‘reduced’, despite the claims of pro-drug advocates. Prevention (denying and/or delaying substance uptake) is the only best-practice for the developing brain demographic.
This is one of the core reasons why our long standing (but relatively small grass-roots movement) has always sought to look ‘behind’ the noise of drug use and its outcomes to origins, motivators and initiates. Anthropologically sound proactive and protective elements have always been part of our community education mechanisms, very much including the understanding of a consistent culture shaping Journey of resiliency building principles, values and relationships with young people and their immediate socialisation contexts.
Engaging All of community – All of the family – with one focus, one message and one voice of deny and/or delaying uptake. Our perception of reality is constructed socially, and that is done through recency, frequency, proximity and intensity. What the young person is immersed in familial and culturally will shape the development of the emerging citizen. So, it is imperative that what focus, message and voice our young people are exposed to on drug use does not create cognitive dissonance or deliver contradictory messaging and modelling in the public square. Any confusion in this space only diminishes the protective factors of the message. We do not have such cognitive dissonance around tobacco use on our culture, and subsequently demand for cigarettes has plummeted. All messaging must enable, equip and empower the emerging generation to have greater capacity to develop their humanity, agency and dignity without the drug use, that only undermines these imperatives.
Iceland too understood much of this, and not only the value of the preventative ‘all of community’ approach, but the need for a disciplined, sustained and uncompromised implementation of strategies be bought to bear. (Again much like our successful ‘war on tobacco’) The outcomes, as we already understand from other historical models of ‘all of community’ shaping mechanisms; works.
The following is a link to the overview of this model, which is based in sound anthropological, not merely sociological principles – including Sustainable worldview, meaning, purpose, values and relationships – All things that keep Humpty Dumpty from and unnecessary fragility and self-sabotaging risks.