Youth Against Drugs

YAD (Youth Against Drugs) is a Finnish preventive anti-drug organisation, founded in 1988. YAD has activities in over 20 locations, from the south in Hanko to the north in Tornio, and from the east in Joensuu to the west in Kalajoki.

The activities of the organisation rely on young volunteers, who want to participate in preventing youngster’s drug habit and supporting clean living. YAD’s purpose is to support a healthy lifestyle, providing more options, new social contacts, increasing people’s knowledge in relation to questions of drugs, and to affect decision-making. YAD is politically and religiously neutral.



INFORMATION

YAD works in centres of young peoples attention - in the summertime in music festivals, in the winter in discos and raves. YAD volunteers visit schools to raise awareness about drug-related issues. The purpose of this is to offer new viewpoints to the question of drug usage and have discussions with equal peers. Appearing sober in different social occasions sets an example, that it is possible to have fun without being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In the last couple of years YAD has raised awareness of the negative effect of the drug trade on the world economy. Drug trade leads to a widening gap between the rich and the poor in socio-economic terms. To provide information YAD use leaflets, books and five times a year an ENo magazine that is aimed at young people.




SUPPORT

The members of YAD support each other. Support is available also for those that need it. Family- and small group activity aims to form support groups, where families and youngsters are provided with new ways of thinking and new ways to occupy their spare time. This is carried out in co-operation with local community, church, or with other such organisations. Family- and small groups are run by YAD trained volunteers who are over the age of 18.



VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

YAD provides various spare time activities for its members: Annual camps, hikes, concerts and other social occasions. Members can arrange their own events, such as discos, concerts, even writing competitions to pupils according to their own interest.



PROJECTS

At the moment YAD is managing two preventive anti-drug projects. In 1999 started a preventive co-ordination project consisting of six southern and central Finnish locations. The idea is to look for socially challenged children and arrange activities that develop their social skills. ?Keetu? -cultural experience helping in life management, is a project whereby the young people trying to kick the drug habit go to the theatre, cinema or art exhibitions etc with their support friends. This project takes place in the Helsinki region.



LOCAL DIVISIONS

Local division are formed out of the local youngsters’ initiatives and interests. Local divisions function in terms of the members’ interests. These interests can include concerts, camps or drug-awareness training in the location of the division. Maybe you could start a new YAD local division where you live? New local sections are welcomed with open arms. YAD’s work is nationally recognised. In 2002 The Finnish Medical Association awarded YAD for distributing accurate information.