Prevention

			Throughout the province, the Centre works with partners in communities to create environments that improve health. Facilitators Lyn Watkin-Merek and Marilyn Herie Back on Track Learning not to drink and drive "Taking this course makes you really think about drinking and driving," says one participant. The "course" is Back on Track, Ontario's remedial measures program for people convicted of impaired driving, launched in 1998. The Centre was awarded the contract to develop and manage the program for the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Health. Various providers deliver the program throughout the province while the Centre delivers it in Toronto. Back on Track is a requirement for impaired driving offenders for license reinstatement. The goal is to help clients avoid impaired driving in the future. Clients pay for the course and may be directed to an eight-hour education course or a 16-hour treatment course. As Barbara McKay, director of the Centre's Remedial Measures Program, notes, "Similar programs were successful in other provinces." Pinpoint and control behaviour The program covers legal and medical information, while probing clients' attitudes and beliefs about alcohol and drug use and driving. Clients explore the personal costs of impaired driving and learn to pinpoint and better control their own behavioural triggers. "Late in the day, we show a victim impact video produced by Mothers Against Drunk Driving," says McKay. "The initial response is dead stillness. Then many people respond emotionally." Before they leave, clients set personal goals and make step-by-step plans to avoid driving while impaired. The program brings together expertise from different parts of the Centre: research, program development, training, planning and service delivery. Says McKay, "It requires an institution with the Centre's breadth of expertise to bring this to life."		En Français | Help | Search | Events | CAMH Library | Guide to CAMH | Donate Now   On this page Back on Track Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth Workman Theatre Project Youth at Risk Supporting Community Needs Information Quest Towards Improving Systems Virtual Party   For further information Related Pages PDF Version of the 1999/2000 Annual Report Message from the Chair and President Understanding Prevention Care Statistics Salary Disclosure Act Board of Trustees Senior Management Group Vision, Mission, and Values Financial Statements (PDF Version only) How to Reach Us

			Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth Building self-awareness and self-esteem Being a teenager is not easy. And if you happen to grow up Black in a predominantly European culture, the added pressures of racism and prejudice can make you feel even more alienated and vulnerable. "You can feel that you have to perform above equal just to be considered equal," says Tracy Brackett. Sixteen-year-old Brackett is an enthusiastic participant in Resilience, a 12-week prevention program for at-risk high school students. It's one of many services offered by the Centre's Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY). Targeting the needs of Black youth The only program of its kind in Canada, SAPACCY offers prevention and treatment services for 13- to 24-year-olds. All services are targeted to the needs of Black youth, delivered by Black therapists, social workers and other caregivers, and "guided by African principles and Afrocentric values," says Teresa Marsh, manager of SAPACCY. "Cultural differences are not just about colour," explains Marsh. "They are also about language, family history and heritage. Our program aims to empower Black youth by meeting them where they are physically, in their homes and communities, and meeting them where they are emotionally, spiritually and culturally." To that end, therapists make house calls and deliver presentations at schools and community centres. SAPACCY also works closely with partners such as the YMCA's Black Achievers Program and Warden Woods Community Centre. Instilling pride In its first two years (1998-99), SAPACCY's focus has been prevention. In Resilience, for instance, "We have open discussions with high-risk youth about substances, coping mechanisms, urban survival skills, and life skills like nutrition and hygiene. And we teach Black history and culture," says Marsh. Tracy Brackett has never considered herself at risk for substance use. But she sees value in the discussions about drugs. "A lot of the kids are not drug aware -- even the ones who have tried them. We're getting medical facts and we can talk honestly without being judged. It's made people think twice." For Brackett, Resilience is about self-awareness and self-esteem. She's eagerly awaiting her third 12-week session. "At the beginning, not everyone took it seriously. Now, we all do. We've built on topics. Like racism. We started slowly and expanded. "I've always been inquisitive and thought it was important to know about yourself and your past," she says. "I'm learning things about Black history I never knew. It instills pride. It lets you tell yourself, 'I'm important.'"		Carolyn O'Neil and Teresa Marsh Guided by African principles SAPACCY uses an African-centred approach and is guided by the traditional African principles of MA'AT: truth, justice, propriety, harmony, reciprocity, balance and order, and Nguzo Saba: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, co-operative economics, purpose, creativity and faith.

			Workman Theatre Project Mental health takes centre stage It may be true that "all the world's a stage." But not all stages reflect the world's complex realities. With the 1988 birth of the Workman Theatre Project (WTP) at the then Queen Street Mental Health Centre, the world's stages became a little more diverse, creating a platform for often neglected mental health themes and constituencies. Now funded partly by the Centre and run by the Centre's WTP artistic director, Lisa Brown, this project provides theatre training and experience to over 130 company members, all of whom have received mental health services. But Brown will tell you WTP provides much more. "It's a psychologically safe place, where healing can begin." '99 Production Development Series -- a first In 1999, WTP launched the Production Development Series. The series showcased four 15-minute works, written by emerging writers from WTP's Writing for the Stage training program. It was the first time company members mounted an evening of theatre entirely on their own, without the active direction of theatre professionals. Brown explains, "We're an integrated company." Professionals come in to direct, stage manage and so on. Company members learn the craft in an apprenticeship process. But in the series, "The members did everything, from writing to direction to design." Professionals were involved on a consulting basis only. Empathy rises to the surface "It was exhilarating," says James, who directed one of the plays in the series. "Directing involves a lot of responsibility," he says. "You pick the play, audition people, supervise the set and lighting ... You have to be there all the time to keep it together and keep people motivated." James knows WTP better than most. He's been involved from the start. "I heard at the institution that they were starting a theatre, so I got involved in the very first play." He also knows mainstream theatre companies. Like many company members, he has worked for them as well. What distinguishes WTP, in his view, is that it "allows people's empathy to rise to the surface. Everyone involved learns something about mental illness. When you're there, whether you're in the audience or the production, you're putting yourself in another person's shoes. If you do that fully, you learn about yourself." Audiences, he says, "can become enlightened about themselves and others. Even coming down to the Queen Street neighbourhood, walking into the theatre is an eye-opener." And company members? "The stigma of mental illness makes you undervalue yourself and others." James believes his company co-members are courageous and gifted. "If you look at the steps they've made, where they've come from, they couldn't be anything else." WTP hosts the annual Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival that presents films touching upon the facts and mythology surrounding mental health and addiction. This year the Centre launched the Shadows of the Mind Film Festival in Sault Ste. Marie, modeled after Rendezvous.		WTP member, delivering a monologue

			Youth at Risk Preventing Depression in Adolescent Girls A province-wide project headed by the Centre addresses the need for prevention strategies targeting depression among adolescent girls. Twenty youth consultants, aged 16 to 21, and various community agencies, including Women's Health in Women's Hands, Peel Children's Centre and Youthlink, are working together to run focus groups whose findings will be used to develop prevention programs and materials. Educating Students about Drug Use and Abuse The Centre has developed drug education lessons in English and French to meet the objectives of the new Grade 1 -- 8 curriculum, in collaboration with province-wide partners from the education and public health systems as well as other interested organizations. Teachers across the province have access to the ready-to-use lesson plans on the Internet. Harm Reduction for Rural Youth Rural communities are concerned about alcohol and drug use among their youth. Youth from Dunnville, Ontario researched and developed a magazine to educate their peers about strategies designed to reduce the harm associated with the use of alcohol and other drugs in a rural setting. Suicide Prevention Suicide is the number two killer of Canadian youth. Adolescence is the only age group in Canada where suicide is on the rise. For this reason, the Centre is involved in community partnerships in Halton and Peel regions that reach out to youth through discussion groups to find out what issues affect their lives. This "for-youth-by-youth" program called YouthNet strives to increase awareness and communication; decrease the stigma surrounding mental health issues; promote early identification and treatment for mental illness; and help youth connect with a safety net of professionals. Supporting Community Needs Brock Community Needs A new Youth Centre in Brock Township is in the planning stages this year, thanks to the Brock Community Needs Project. This community-based initiative grew out of a needs-assessment report conducted by a prior Durham Drug Awareness Week Inc. study. The study recommended Brock Township Council form a local committee to develop a plan of action to address drug and alcohol use, particularly by youth, and one of the many recommendations was for a Youth Centre.   Aboriginal Community Project While many aboriginal communities have responded to alcohol problems by adopting a policy that prohibits the consumption of alcohol, nearly 45 First Nations in Ontario permit drinking. To help these communities develop new treatments and tools to reduce alcohol-related problems, the Centre and three aboriginal communities have initiated a pilot project to develop and assess policies to reduce alcohol-related harm and to enhance the quality of community living. Project Weathervane With the growth of gambling venues in Ontario, there is an increasing need to know public attitudes toward gambling to develop prevention and intervention strategies to reduce problem gambling. Project Weathervane will gather public attitudes and perceptions towards gambling in the Ontario population so that we can determine the best methods for prevention and action. Information Quest Canadian Health Network The Centre is part of a consortium, involving the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and the Alcoholism Foundation of Manitoba, that have been identified as the substance abuse affiliate for the Canadian Health Network (CHN). As a new organization funded by Health Canada, CHN provides trusted health information on the Web. The affiliate is responsible for identifying information that should be accessible through the Web site and responding to health information requests from the public and professionals. The Centre's Library and Public Information Services is one of 400 contributors to the network at <www.canadian-health-network.ca>. Towards Improving Systems Canadian Alcohol Policy Project This study analyzes developments in federal and provincial alcohol policy over the past 10 to 15 years, including deregulation of provincial control systems and initiatives dealing with alcohol advertising, warning labels, smuggling and international trade. This project is being carried out by researchers associated with Universities of Toronto, Montreal, Victoria, and Stockholm and our Centre.		CAMH Publications

			Virtual Party Virtual messenger -- real alcohol and drug use messages The music is blaring. The beer is flowing. The house party is in full swing. And 17-year-old Sarah has a decision to make. She's just bumped into her best friend, Megan, hand-in-hand with an older man. Megan's been drinking and she's not too steady on her feet. She can't remember the man's name. When he goes off for another round, Sarah weighs her options. Does she bail out of a wild party, keep tabs on Megan or just keep on partying? Realistic choices You've just read an actual scene from the Virtual Party. www.virtual-party.org is an interactive Web site -- a project developed in partnership by the Centre and the Peterborough County-City Health Unit. Visitors click on to "Sarah," or her male counterpart "Jason," and follow them through a night of partying. Along the way, visitors face choices about alcohol and drug use and dating. At any point, they can click through to educational information. Sean McCarthy The party may be virtual. But, as Sean McCarthy can tell you, the situations are realistic. McCarthy, now 20, was part of a Youth Advisory Team made up of Peterborough high-school students. The team met throughout the winter of 1998 to design the Virtual Party for 13- to 19-year-olds. In their experience, traditional education on drugs and alcohol tended to be "either judgmental or over-the-top," says McCarthy. "Kids can't relate." In contrast, while the Web site emphasizes healthy choices, it also takes care not to moralize or exaggerate. Alcohol use on the rise The Web site is timely. As the Centre's 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey points out, 67 per cent of Ontario students say they've used alcohol in the past year, and seven per cent of them are drinking at alarmingly high levels. But while prevention programs have had limited success, harm reduction programs, on which the Virtual Party is modelled, may fare somewhat better. Harm reduction is an approach that focuses on decreasing adverse health, social and economic consequences of drug use without requiring abstinence. "We accepted that kids will experiment," says McCarthy. "We wanted to give them some extra things to think about that they aren't thinking about now. If we get them to do that, it's a significant step." It's a hit Launched in November 1999, the Virtual Party attracted 4,600 viewers and over 180,000 hits in its first month. Some actual comments: "I did not have to risk my own life to find out the consequences of my actions." "It puts you in a real situation that could happen to you or someone you know." "Make it longer ... more consequences." "Great job. I'm glad to see someone has finally made a Web site that can actually benefit teens and hopefully make them think twice before drinking, smoking or having sex."

			For general information on addiction and mental health: Call the R. Samuel McLaughlin Addiction and Mental Health Information Centre Toll free in Ontario 1-800-463-6273 or local (416) 595-6111 www.camh.net/mclaughlin DISCLAIMER: The Centre is not able to provide diagnostic, treatment or referral services through the Internet. Individuals should contact their family doctors, or their local mental health or addiction agency for further information.		© Copyright Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 33 Russell Street, Toronto Ontario, Canada M5S 2S1. Telephone: (416) 535-8501 The Centre is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. A Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre For inquiries regarding the content of this page, contact Please direct technical questions or comments about this site to If you are a spammer or spam-harvesting robot, please send mail to imaspammer-on@lists.camh.net.
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