| Hope UK: Enabling young people to make drug-free choices |
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www.hopeuk.org
Hope UK intends to expand its drug education and prevention activities so that its Drug Educators are reaching 500,000 children and young people a year by the end of 2011. There are already 12 Educators in Wales and the aim is to increase this number to 50 in that period so that every Welsh community has access to drug and alcohol education. As a Christian charity, Hope UK's faith basis enables it to relate to Christian groups but its expertise in community based drug education means that 50 per cent of its work is outside church networks.
Alcohol and tobacco are included in its Drug Awareness and Training sessions. Delivery is principally by means of Educators trained with a course that has been accredited by the Open College Network. This 120-hour training programme equips individuals to deliver drug awareness sessions in a wide variety of settings - including parents' groups, churches, children and youth groups as well as schools. Accredited training is available for youth workers and a 2-day course for Family Workers will soon be accredited. A key principle is to adapt to the needs of the inviting organisation whether this be a 15-minute school assembly, church service or detached youth work. Most of Hope UK's Drug Educators are volunteers, although some of them are "Associates" because they carry out drug education as part of their paid employment, eg, as a church youth worker. Reaching 500,000 young people a year will require 1,000 Educators - currently there are 214. This step change in activity will involve a regionalisation process (to enable good support and ongoing training for Educators) at an additional cost of £1,300,000 between now and the end of 2011. Regional training has already taken place for some of our newer Educators in Wales. Partnership working is essential and Hope UK works with Care for the Family (based near Cardiff) to help provide their How to Drug Proof Your Kids' programme. Two of our Educators in Wales
Though retired, and grandparents to nine children, John and Pat lead extremely busy lives. Whilst Pat is wheelchair bound, this certainly does not hold her back. She is the UK Office Manager for a ministry that works with children living on the garbage dumps in Mexico City. Pat also teaches card craft once a week. John has recently stood down as Teen Challenge Swansea Bus leader. He says, "I would like to use the knowledge that I receive from Hope UK to help families with children who have life controlling problems, take it into more schools, and anywhere else there is a need for drug education, under the banner of Hope UK." Of Hope UK Pat says, "Although we are still in the early stages, and we have only started to answer the initial questions, I am convinced that the professionalism of Hope UK will get me to where I want to be. I want to be where I can make a difference to young lives." Further information is available from: Please get in touch if your organisation would like a visit from a Hope UK Drug Educator or explore the possibility of partnership work. |
John and Pat, who live in Brynamman in South West Wales are newcomers to the Educator Programme but have been eager to complete the training in order to use it to the full in their community. Both retired, they are "disappointed" that they became aware only recently of the work of Hope UK as they have been working with drug addicts and alcoholics for the past five years and therefore recognise the need for prevention work only too well. They have been involved in children's work for the last twenty years and have led assemblies in more than thirty schools each term. This has now been changed to Drug Awareness Education, with the first three schools having experienced the uniquely fun and interesting way in which John and Pat work.