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FILM ZOOMS IN ON DRUGS

Marijuana, crystal meth, crack, cocaine: These drugs are in our community, harming our children.  Now, addiction experts and School District #35 have collaborated to begin Project Resiliency, a program dedicated to raising drug awareness and stopping the drug problem before it escalates out of control.

"The aim of ( the project ) is to consolidate expertise in the Langley community and Langley School District to enhance preventative measures and general responsiveness to students who are abusing drugs, alcohol and other substances.

Project Resiliency will develop a coordinated community response that will lead to the decline of substance abuse among youths in our schools and community," states their project overview.

"It's time to address the problem before it escalates," said Township Councillor Mel Kositsky.

As part of the project, Chad Toronchuk was asked to create a 22 minute video on drug abuse.  He wasn't pleased with the videos that were available and created his own.  It premiered Monday night at Brookswood Secondary School.

"The idea came about last summer.  We needed something visually better than videos seen in the DARE program," said Toronchuk.

The video showed a diversity of youths and parents who were drug users.  It's not just low income families or single mothers whose children are drug users.  It could be straight A students, said Tatiana Sean, a street worker with Families And Youth Services Society.  "It could happen to anybody," said Project Coordinator Barry MacDonald.

Drug use in Langley is becoming a big issue in the community.  Without proper treatment facilities along with the population, it's hard to measure how bad the problem is becoming, said Sean.

"We're a community of communities.  Some places like Fort Langley and Walnut Grove are more unaware, but that doesn't mean it's not happening.  People need to quit saying Surrey or Vancouver have the problems, it's a community problem," she said.

Toronchuk reiterated what many people of the evening said.

"If you think about it, the wrong icons are talking about ( drugs ).  Those people need to be us, the community, friends, everyone has to talk about it.  Youth need to be involved.  It's a community problem," said Toronchuk.

Many people were present at the premier including children from ages eight to 18, school principals, Township councillors, school board trustees, and parents.

"We need to start with making contact with kids, building relationships, talking about drugs, working with parents.  We need to shine a light on the problem and get people talking about it.  We need to involve the community, RCMP and the task force soon.  This is a community issue," said MacDonald.

Kositsky strongly supports the initiative, and thinks the movie was very well done.

He has agreed to suggest to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Crime Prevention Committee that the video be shown at an upcoming committee meeting to talk about ideas regarding communities and drugs across the country.

"When it talks about your own community it's very effective," he said.  "It was a good movie, and a good prevention tool.  I think how it's delivered can be used as a way to open up discussions," said Sean.