La Maison Jean Lapointe: Leader in prevention Program objectives

Awareness worksho
p on the risks associa
ted with the use of alc
ohol and drugs amon
g youth
La Maison Jean Lapointe: Leader in prevention
Since 2007, La Maison Jean Lapointe, in partnership with the Addiction Prevention Centre (APC) and La
Fondation Jean Lapointe, offers Quebec teens a strong innovative tool for drug prevention entitled,
My independence Matters to Me!
Structured around a workshop rich in interactions, the program allows young people to receive accurate and
timely information on the risks of alcohol and drug use. It helps develop the knowledge, skills and self-esteem
necessary to help young people make enlightened and responsible choices. The workshop provides a forum for the
exchange of beliefs and perceptions that youth hold about consumption that too often leading to behaviours
whose long-term consequences can be dramatic.
Program objectives
The Program My Independence Matters to Me! was created using the best practices in prevention.
The objectives are:
•
•
•
•
to delay the moment of first use;
to harmonize the messages that young people receive from their peers and the media about consumption;
to deconstruct the principal at-risk beliefs that young people have about drug use and reinforce protective beliefs;
to teach young people about the many strategies for avoidance and personal positioning that can be used to cope with
certain at-risk situations;
• to enable young people to develop their own opinion of alcohol and drug use in order to generate individual decision
making with respect to psychotropic substances.
About APC
The Addiction Prevention Centre (APC) has developed over the years the integrated strategy for drug prevention APTE
aimed at high school students. My Independence Matters to Me! is the first program of this integrated strategy and was
developed in collaboration with la Maison Jean Lapointe.
The integrated strategy for drug prevention APT meets the best prevention practices recognized in the
field of addictions.
514 288-2611
[email protected]
www.myindependance.ca
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A social issue
The use of alcohol and drugs among young people is an important issue. Studies show that young people are
not only more susceptible than adults to at-risk behaviours related to drug use, but can also suffer more harm.
Since psychoactive substances directly affect the adolescent brain which is still in development, the impact on
their physical health, mental health, academic performance and safety are important. Furthermore, substance
abuse is often accompanied by a host of other psychosocial problems: violence, school dropouts, bullying, legal
problems.
Led by facilitators trained in outreach by La Maison Jean Lapointe, workshops are offered to all students in
secondary one, across the province. . La Fondation Jean Lapointe completely funds this prevention workshop
allowing schools that wish to receive it to benefit from our expertise absolutely free of charge.
To host the workshop My Independence Matters to Me! at your school, contact La Maison Jean Lapointe’s
outreach department !
(514) 288-2611
[email protected]
WWW.MYINDEPENDANCE.CA
is a key tool for teens who want to learn more, ask
questions online, share thoughts, enter contests and
have access to various help resources.
A section for parents is also available to help support
their teenager.
A
WINNER
EVERY
MONTH
514 288-2611
[email protected]
www.myindependance.ca
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Impact of the workshop
Young people are happy to receive the workshop because they are intrigued and fascinated by the subject. The
questions asked are often related to the messages they get from the media, their family and friends. Through
the workshop, the many at-risk beliefs held by youth about drug use are gradually replaced by protective
beliefs: not all their peers consume, the effects of drugs are not always cool, it’s not necessary to consume to
have fun, etc.
But above all, young people realize the magnitude of the consequences that drugs can have on a person’s life.
After the workshop, students are invited to complete a Satisfaction Questionnaire and many share
with us their comments confirming the relevance of
our program.
Ambitious program, achievable goals
To ensure the success of a large-scale prevention
campaign and to produce significant changes in behaviour,
it’s important to reach a large mass of the target group.
514 288-2611
[email protected]
www.myindependance.ca
-3-
Since it’s beginning, My Independence Matters to Me! has quickly become established
in Quebec, benefitting from an instant adhesion and an appreciation of all those involved:
the school boards, school counsellors, la Sûreté du Québec and especially young people themselves.
This program, which is the subject of continued evaluation, is available free to all secondary schools in
Quebec with the financial support of La Fondation Jean Lapointe.
Fondation Jean Lapointe is firmly committed to prevention, an area that is both the most promising and most overlooked of essential services that must be offered to the people of Quebec.
The Foundation now spends a significant portion of its energy and funds it collects on the prevention of problems related to alcohol and drug use among young people in schools.
www.fondationjeanlapointe.org
514 288-2630
Jean Lapointe
514 288-2611
[email protected]
www.myindependance.ca
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