New approaches to drug addiction prevention were discussed at a round table in the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee
-- Representatives of various fields of activity are participating in the round table meeting. Everyone has some developments, interesting innovative solutions. They must be adopted and implemented, especially among youth, -- said Vladimir Terentyev. -- After all, it is from childhood, from adolescence, from youth that the foundations of a healthy lifestyle are laid. It is not for nothing that the theme of today's round table is designated as "Strength in Unity". This indicates that state authorities, public organizations, and healthcare institutions must come together and seek innovative solutions to the problem of drug addiction. I want to express my gratitude to our regional and Minsk city Women's Union for coming up with the initiative to hold such a large-scale event. I believe this meeting will give another impetus to bring our youth to a new stage and will contribute to the popularization of a healthy lifestyle. -- As a reminder, in October 2021, an agreement on cooperation was signed for the implementation of programs to prevent the use and distribution of psychoactive substances among children and youth between the Department for Drug Control and Human Trafficking of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, the Vitebsk Center for Psychiatry and Narcology, the primary organization of the Belarusian Women's Union, the NGO "Young Life", and the Vitebsk Regional Marketing Center. As part of this project, the public association "Young Life" was registered, founded by volunteers who have been working in Vitebsk for more than 10 years.
“Unfortunately, as of the end of 2022, we must state that the number of registered drug trafficking crimes has seen a certain increase – 6096 crimes nationwide. Despite a decrease in the number of individuals committing these crimes, we are still talking about an increase in the number of crimes committed by minors in the context of illicit drug trafficking. And our priority task is to protect our youth from involvement in drug trafficking; this is the number one issue,” said Olga Chemodanova, Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work and Youth Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee, Chairperson of the Minsk City Organization of the NGO “Belarusian Women’s Union”. “Traditional methods of work, such as discussions, meetings, and video screenings, are always effective. But we also feel that young people have different demands today. And the topic of peer education will be paramount today. How can we create such meetings with young people today where they themselves will be involved in this work, just like the entire society – this is what we intend to discuss.”
Signatories of the agreement, together with the Main Department for Education of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and the Department of Corrections of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus for the Vitebsk Region, have created the project “A New Step into a New Life” with the aim of organizing and conducting consistent and comprehensive informational and educational events aimed at promoting traditional family values, strengthening the spiritual and moral foundations of society, uniting under the idea of a healthy lifestyle, including the implementation of a program to prevent the use and distribution of psychoactive substances among children and youth.
In 2022, within the framework of an agreement involving volunteers, partners, benefactors, the Vitebsk region department for youth affairs, and the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, more than 40 thematic events were held, covering schoolchildren, students, and adults.
"Vitebskiye Vesti"