Schools art contest highlights dangers of substance abuse
More than 100 posters were submitted by young people from schools across the Caerphilly County Borough Council area of Gwent in a competition to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse.
More than 100 posters were submitted by young people from schools across the Caerphilly County Borough Council area of Gwent in a competition to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse.
The competition was organised by the Caerphilly Junior Forum, a group for children aged from eight to 11 who represent their schools and raise issues affecting them so they can become actively involved in local decision-making. The 69 primary schools in Caerphilly can each have two representatives on the Junior Forum, voted on by the children in their school. These representatives meet three times a year; once each term.
The competition followed a meeting between Gwent police and crime commissioner (PCC) Ian Johnston and Junior Forum members last month. The children questioned the PCC and Lyn Webber, regional manager of the PCC-funded Gwent Drugs Interventions Programme, on the forums priority issue of people using drugs may cause harm in their communities and to other people.
The children also highlighted that alcohol was an issue and said that people needed to know about the effects of drinking too much alcohol and that adults who are drunk can be frightening to children.
A poster competition was organised between primary schools in the borough under those two headings and Mr Johnston agreed to provide £1,000 in prize-money for the purchase of school-related supplies or to fund activities.
The winning posters are being displayed on the PCCs website and social media sites to raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse. Caerphilly County Borough Councils community safety department has also agreed to display the winning alcohol-related posters on Blackwood High Street to make people think about how alcohol abuse impacts on young children.
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Mr Johnston said: We are only too aware of how substance abuse can destroy lives, families and communities. We were delighted by the quality and the volume of submissions. We want fewer victims of crime and to protect people from serious harm, and competitions such as this one play an important role in raising awareness about the dangers of substance abuse among schoolchildren and young people.