Gisborne community action on youth and drugs day
Monday 18 June 2007, 8:56AM
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Community Action on Youth and Drug programmes are helping communities deal with drug and alcohol abuse.
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Community Action on Youth and Drug programmes were helping communities deal with drug and alcohol abuse, convenor of the ministerial committee on drug and alcohol misuse Jim Anderton said today.
Mr Anderton took part in the Whanau Hauora Day being run by the Turanga Health CAYAD programme in Gisborne. He told the gathering that the day was about standing up for your community and standing up for ourselves, about accepting we have a problem in our community with drugs and alcohol, and about accepting it's up to us to take responsibility and do something about it.
"This day has been organised by your local CAYAD. Community Action on Youth and Drugs programmes are the best way I know of for drug issues to be identified and dealt with at the local level."
Mr Anderton said CAYADs made an important contribution to helping positive social change in our communities.
"CAYADs focus on strengthening communities. We need to think beyond simply reducing drug-related crime and supply. We also have to think about community development."
The government was doing its bit, he said, with the recent Budget investing nearly $6 million to raise awareness about the risks of taking drugs. But the real answers lay in the community, he said.
"I am convinced that by harnessing the strength of the community through programmes such as CAYAD, real changes can be made. We can make changes that will positively help our young people and help them unleash their potential."
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Community Action on Youth and Drug programmes were helping communities deal with drug and alcohol abuse, convenor of the ministerial committee on drug and alcohol misuse Jim Anderton said today.
Mr Anderton took part in the Whanau Hauora Day being run by the Turanga Health CAYAD programme in Gisborne. He told the gathering that the day was about standing up for your community and standing up for ourselves, about accepting we have a problem in our community with drugs and alcohol, and about accepting it's up to us to take responsibility and do something about it.
"This day has been organised by your local CAYAD. Community Action on Youth and Drugs programmes are the best way I know of for drug issues to be identified and dealt with at the local level."
Mr Anderton said CAYADs made an important contribution to helping positive social change in our communities.
"CAYADs focus on strengthening communities. We need to think beyond simply reducing drug-related crime and supply. We also have to think about community development."
The government was doing its bit, he said, with the recent Budget investing nearly $6 million to raise awareness about the risks of taking drugs. But the real answers lay in the community, he said.
"I am convinced that by harnessing the strength of the community through programmes such as CAYAD, real changes can be made. We can make changes that will positively help our young people and help them unleash their potential."