KAMLOOPS TACKLES SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Conference Will Teach Parents How To Communicate With Their
Children

Organizers of a Kamloops conference say it's time to show parents of
drug-addicted young people that help is out there.

The two-day "Together Today for our Children Tomorrow"
conference is aimed at helping parents to learn about drug issues and
tactics useful in confronting those issues with their children.

The solution-based initiative was devised by a group of community
members following a Province forum about crystal methamphetamine in
April.

One of the most pressing messages to come from that forum was the need
to talk -- not just about the problem, but about solutions.

"There are answers out there," said Const. Dean Gladue of the RCMP's
drug and organized-crime awareness service. "We need to come together
to keep our children safe."

More than 250 people have registered for the conference so far, and
Gladue, one of the organizers, says there is room for 250 more.

He says the conference at the Mount Paul Centre will look at existing
substance-abuse prevention initiatives and identify viable ideas for
the Kamloops region.

Key to addressing substance-abuse problems among young people is
educating parents about how to engage in open and constructive
dialogue, he said.

"We still have a long way to go, but we've definitely come a long
way," Gladue said.

The Kamloops forum is one of a growing number of community-led
substance-abuse prevention initiatives currently under way in B.C.

Anti-meth programs have formed in Maple Ridge, Victoria, Nanaimo,
Surrey and Oceanside.