By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Northern Health selected the Robson Valley to act as a pilot community for a substance use prevention program administered by Planet Youth, a research consultancy organization that helps communities identify ways to prevent substance use among youths. The local coordinator for the program, Valemount resident Shirley Giroux, presented on the program at Valemount Council’s October 8th meeting.
Planet Youth advocates for a primary prevention model in substance use, meaning they aim to prevent the use of substances in the first place rather than intervening after someone has begun to use substances. The organization refers to its strategy as the Icelandic Prevention Model, an approach adopted in Iceland in the late ‘90s that encourages youths to use their free time in a constructive way, such as by having local schools organize leisure activities.
“It’s a methodology intended to help us connect our young people with a greater number of healthy, responsible adults who genuinely care about their well-being,” Giroux said of the model. “It is helping us to connect youth with a stronger sense of purpose through meaningful experiences, a lot of which they will be helping to direct, and it’s to help build that sense of belonging for young people.”
Giroux said Planet Youth is currently in the early stages of its work in the Robson Valley. She is working to identify sustainable funding sources for the program, and to determine a method of data collection to assess which prevention techniques are the most effective for Valley communities.
The project is in its first phase of funding: the Public Health Agency of Canada provided about $125,000, enough funding for 18 months, Giroux said. She is optimistic that the Robson Valley pilot project will get approved for another round of funding once the first phase is over, she added.
The goal for this first phase is to learn how to adapt the Icelandic Prevention Model to the specific needs of northern B.C. communities, Giroux said. In Valemount and McBride, this may include funding spaces where teenagers can spend their free time, she added: many youths have raised concerns with Giroux that most businesses and public spaces in the valley are geared to adults or families with young children, she said.
While the Robson Valley is the first community in the Northern Health area to pilot the Planet Youth program, Giroux hopes the program will be expanded to the rest of Northern Health’s jurisdiction if it is successful.
“Northern B.C. has the highest rates of toxic drug use deaths in the province,” she said. “We want to try doing something different with Northern Health, to build a different kind of culture and community.”
Mayor Owen Torgerson thanked Giroux for her presentation, and asked how she will maintain confidentiality with the youths she consults during her research.
Giroux, who works as a counsellor in Valemount’s schools and has a Master’s of Education in counselling, said she is very familiar with confidentiality needs.
“As a mental health professional, maintaining confidentiality is my default,” she said. “Before we do any large-scale, or even small-scale research, there will be an informed consent procedure for anyone who’s participating… We’ll also be clear that if you’re sharing your story, the intention is to [anonymously] share it with the community and see what commonalities we’re seeing.”
Torgerson thanked Giroux again and said the Village is looking forward to seeing how they can support the project.
Councillor Pete Pearson asked what kinds of data researchers are hoping to collect.
Giroux said she hopes to collect both quantitative data, or hard statistics on substance use, and qualitative data, or stories and comments from local youths.
“Thank you once again,” Torgerson said. “We are full of gratitude for your presentation this evening.”
