A step towards school based intervention and policy!

Pehchaan Drug awareness Campaign launched by Pehchaan radio club at D.A.V. Public School…a step towards school based intervention and policy!

By Vindhya Vatsyayan

The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is celebrated every year on 26 June to commemorate the signing of the Declaration adopted at the International Conference against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on that day in 1987.

As a culmination of two week long Pehchaan Drug awareness campaign, the Nada India Foundation in collaboration with D.A.V. Public School, Vasant Kunj organized a workshop on “Radio and Drug Abuse” on 12^th July, 2012 at D.A.V. Public School,Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Dr. Anju Puri, Principal, D.A.V. School delivered the welcome address. Ms. V. Pallavi, Director, Nada India, Ms. Abha Narula, In-charge, Interact Club & Ms. Vandana, faculty member were also present.

Bridging the gap & creating new spaces…a step towards mutual learning

Children from different cultural backgrounds got to interact with each other. They openly talked about myths surrounding alcohol and drugs, the need to fight back and what role can they play. One group belonged to one of the marginalized communities of Delhi, Shanti camp, Mandi Gaon whereas the other group was from the School. The interaction helped them understand their day to day struggles, how they differ in both the groups and what makes them alike despite coming from two different backgrounds. They also got the opportunity to express themselves through the collage making competition on the theme ”Say No To Drugs”. This greatly helped in bridging the gap between the students coming from varied communities.

Culmination of community based drug awareness campaign…

Following this, an interactive session on “Drug and Drug abuse” took place with the students of 9^th and 10^th standard facilitated by a Nada staff member. Highlights of the session were myths about drugs and drug abuse and what teens should know about drugs.
 
The facilitator also talked about the various ongoing drug prevention activities like theatrical performances by Deep group, painting competition at Bal Bhawan, Nai Umeed shelter for homeless children and an online campaign on Facebook where more than 160 members participated. A video message by Mr. Aamir Khan and an audio on Drugs and its abuse were also showcased.

Mr. Bhishm Wahi, Convenor of Pehchaan Drug Awareness Campaign further elaborated his experiences while working with homeless women, children & drug addicts. He also shared a case study of an educated homeless drug user from Shimla, and his struggle on the streets of Delhi. 

Learning from the lives and experiences of the people living with drug use…

The session was followed by the “Life Story” of Mr. Raghav, Member, Managing committee, The Beginning of New Life De-addictionand Rehabilitation Centre. Curious students got their answers by the man himself. After initial hesitation, they asked all small; big questions on drugs, drug abuse, De-addiction & Rehabilitation. D.A.V. Young Nada interns also shared their experiences on how their visit to “The beginning of new life” De-addiction Centre; and their interaction with the patients and staff of the centre changed their negative perception about the drug users and de-addiction treatment. 

Honorable Chief Guest Mr. K.M. Agarwal, President, Rotary Club, Vasant Valley School was welcomed by Ms. Abha Narula, In-charge, Interact Club. He shared his experience of visit to a De-addiction centre in UK and he urged the students to know more about and learn from the lives of the people who have gone through the pain.

Radio Club…Creating a brand value for the drug awareness campaign

Later, Ms. Monica Menon, an International tennis player and a Limca Book of Record holder, Brand Ambassador, Pehchaan Radio Club talked about Radio as a medium of awareness on drug abuse; she gave young minds an insight to the world of Radio and how effectively it can be used in spreading social messages. 

 Firm & humanly step towards action & policy…

The workshop came to a close with the presentation of four collages jointly prepared by the students of Jawahar Bal Bhawan and D.A.V. School. These students further visited senior classes and displayed the collage to spread the message "How to say no to tobacco, alcohol & drugs".

Nada handed bills on how to help a friend/ family member who is on tobacco or alcohol were distributed among the students. Posters, paintings and banners targeting the students & teachers were suitably placed at various strategic points in the school.

Ms. Anju Puri appealed the students to take a pledge to “Say no to tobacco, alcohol & drugs”. She further asserted the need of creating an enabling environment in the school where children can easily approach their peers and faculty with their problems especially related to stress & first use of tobacco and alcohol.

A cadre of peer counselors, faculty mentors will be developed with a prime objective of enhancement of help seeking behavior among the students before they harm others or themselves. Social media like Facebook will also be utilized to facilitate the process of prevention at primary, secondary and tertiary level. 

At the end Ms.V. Pallavi, Director, Nada India concluded that the workshop served as a reminder of the need to address drug issues by drafting a model drug policy at school level to deal with the problem holistically and to raise awareness on the risks and consequences of tobacco, alcohol & drug use.

“School going & out of the school children are equally vulnerable to tobacco, alcohol & drug use, a holistic approach & policy is needed at all levels of intervention; school as well as community” – Suneel Vatsyayan, Chairman, Nada India.

Nada India thanks following partners with gratitude for joining the Pehchaan drug awareness campaign:

·        Ministry of Social Justice & empowerment

·        National Institute of Social Defence

·        D.A.V. Public School, Vasant Kunj

·        The Beginning of New Life De-addiction & Rehabilitation Centre

·        Nai Umeed shelter for homeless children

·        United Nation Office of drug and crime (ROSA)

·        Interact & rotary club, Vasant Valley

·        Aman Biradari, centre for equity

·        Jawahar Bal Bhawan, Mandi Village

·        Indian Institute of Mass Communication

·    Shelter homes for homeless women & children & drug users, Jama Masjid and Yamuna Bazaar

·        Indian Temperance  Youth Federation (ITYF)

·        IOGT  International