Drugs awareness in the Glens

Cllr McAllister says “I was approached by several concerned parents in the area telling me that they would like to avail of some Drugs and Alcohol awareness training in their area as they felt they weren’t very well educated in this subject.

“After meeting with some of them I asked them exactly what they would like to know about them and they told me that they weren’t aware of what drugs are out there?, signs and symptoms of use, and where they go to get help if they suspect that a family member is dependant on any of the above.

“Just before the Christmas holidays I started to do a bit of research into who I could approach to advice theses concerned parents in my community and got speaking to Amanda who works with CRUN (Causeway Rural & Urban Network) funded by the Northern Drugs & Alcohol Coordination Team (NDACT) on how I go about organising this course.

“After a lengthy conversation with Amanda I was able to voice the concerns of the community to her and she explained to me of what courses were available and we agreed to speak with each other after the Christmas break to get the ball rolling.

“Another problem that I was up against is where I could secure a venue for this training to take place as our parochial hall has closed and the community were left with no community hall.

“I was speaking about this concern I had at a general meeting at my local hurling club Oísíns CLG Glenariffe and they informed me that they would be more than happy to host this course, and many like it, free of charge.”

“This course will take place in Glenariffe Oísíns hurling pavilion on the 26th January 2012 at 7.30pm and will run for several weeks and at the end of the course the participants will leave with an OCN Level 1 Community Drugs and Alcohol Awareness certificate.

“I am delighted that this training is getting off the ground and look forward to what doors this course can open up for the rural communities that are out there.

“Anyone in the Glens community that would like anymore information on this course can contact me 07584689892 or email me at [email protected]