Drugs awareness for Under 13s

Date article online: 23/04/2008

Friday 25 April will see the launch of a new drugs awareness campaign by the Children’s Empowerment Team at Sure Start Rochdale aimed at Under 13s in the Rochdale borough.

The campaign will see leaflets distributed to children through schools and telling them of the dangers of legal and illegal drugs. The newly designed literature introduces two characters, Groovy Grace and Cool Carl, who have advice for children with how to deal with drugs and the effect they can have.

The initiative has been led by children in Rochdale. The issues about drugs were fed back to the team through the Children’s and Young People’s Forums and the feedback postcards that children regularly post through to the team. The feedback showed children with anxiety, fear and lack of awareness or information about drugs.

The Children’s Empowerment Project contacted the Healthy Schools Team and Early Break who attended forum meetings and Rochdale Children’s Council meetings to share information and provide children and young people with the opportunity to ask questions. From these visits the Forums and Children’s Council highlighted how there was a lack of appropriate information for children and young people under the age of 13 and how most leaflets were targeted at older teenagers.

Rochdale Children’s Council worked together to draft a design and information leaflet which went for consultation to children’s groups, parents and adults.

Following the launch hosted by Rochdale Children’s Council on Saturday (26 April) morning the leaflet will be distributed to primary schools around the borough.

A representative from the Children’s Empowerment Team said: “This campaign came out of listening to children about their worries and fears. It has been produced by children for children to get the facts and appropriate advice about drugs through to children. We want the children of Rochdale to know that we are listening to their concerns and acting upon them.”