Our six voluntary Drug Educators in Wales carry out many drug awareness sessions, especially in local schools.  They include John and Pat Hannigan, a remarkable couple who, despite age and disability accomplish a great deal in the cause of drug prevention.  John says, “I use the knowledge that I receive from Hope UK to help families with children that have life-controlling problems, taking it into schools and anywhere else there is a need for drug education.”

A part-time Local Project Workers is needed to support the Wales Drug Educators and recruit and help train more volunteers to meet the need.   A one-day-per-week post would cost approximately £4,000 per annum (including expenses).

Jo writes, “Alcohol is the big problem in Morayshire – more of a problem than drugs.  Alcohol dependence is more than twice the national average so I knew I had to do something.  I became a voluntary Drug Educator for Hope UK a couple of years ago and jumped at the chance to represent Hope UK as a Local Project Worker.

I began by identifying the need for drug education in the Highlands and Islands.  I made contact with the Moray Alcohol and Drug Partnership, and attended a meeting in April. 

A press release has been produced for the Christians Together website for the Highlands and Islands.  This website also has links with Moray and all of the shires within the Highlands. A press release was also sent to various local newspapers across the area.  

I’ve delivered a number of drug awareness sessions including a presentation to the Quarriers Carers Support team – a great opportunity to provide alcohol awareness to carers.  

I plan to contact Street Pastors and the Drug and Alcohol Action Teams in Inverness and Aberdeen over the next few weeks as well as churches in these areas. 

I also keep in touch with Hope UK’s voluntary Drug Educators in Scotland based in North Lanark, Edinburgh, Nairn and Moray.”

Click here for the latest news from Scotland.  Please contact Jo at j.pickford@hopeuk.org  if you would like a drug and alcohol awareness session for your group.

Nicola Molloy of Co Armagh was appointed as Hope UK’s Local Project Worker in February 2011.  Her role involves recruiting a team of at least ten voluntary Drug Educators in the area and telling statutory and other voluntary groups about how Hope UK can work with them to help prevent drug and alcohol-related harm to children and young people. 

She writes, “Since my appointment in February, I’ve found a number of people willing to train as Drug Educators and organisations wanting to use the volunteers once they are trained.  The Community Safety Partnership, for example, do 6-week mentoring courses for young people and are keen to have input from Hope UK.  A number of officers from the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades are interested in the Drug Educator training so that they, in turn, can train their fellow officers.  There is interest from other uniformed organisations (like Girl Guides) as well.”

A recent report by the The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland found that “alcohol misuse was a more common general feature of suicide and homicide in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK.  ‘We can no longer afford to ignore the growing trend linking alcohol and suicide, particularly in young people,’ said Dr Uzma Huda, Vice Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland.”

Hope UK wants to make a difference to the lives of young people in Northern Ireland.  There are four trained voluntary Drug Educators in Seskinore, Bangor, Portadown and Ballymena.  If you would like to invite one to provide a drug and alcohol awareness session to your group, please contact Nicola at n.molloy@hopeuk.org.

To see the Northern Ireland newsletter for Autumn 2011, click here.

Hazel (pictured) will also liaise with other voluntary and statutory groups to find opportunities for the voluntary Drug Educators to use their training, as well as meeting requests from daytime groups like schools during ‘office hours’. 

In the meantime, we continue to support eight existing voluntary Drug Educators in other parts of Yorkshire and the Humber region who are available to work in schools and with youth and parents’ groups to provide interactive drug and alcohol education.

They have carried out drug awareness sessions as part of Care for the Family’s Drug Proof Your Kids course, colleges, YMCA, youth organisations and church groups.

If you would like a drug awareness speaker for your group, please contact Deborah Devine at d.devine@hopeuk.org

Our goal is to support these (and more) Educators with a part-time Project Worker who will be able to to liaise with other voluntary and statutory groups, as well as meeting requests from daytime groups like schools during ‘office hours’.  Recruiting new Educators, and providing training for accredited courses and delivering awareness sessions at times when Educators are not available, calls for 7 hours of staff time per week.  First year salary and support costs are approximately £4,000.