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how often and howmuch they take, and howmuch their
circle of friends and other environmental conditions affect
them. Young people's desire to stand against authority
reduces the effect of any kind of message. That is why
sharing problems with friends, the style of the education
and personality of the leader affect the message's impact
on young people. Therefore, allowing peers to convey the
message about the use of addictive substances directly
increases the level of its effect."
WHEN IS IT CARRIED OUT?
Based on data obtained through some studies, we know
that young people are initially exposed to addictive
substances by peers from the same social environment.
Therefore, it is important to implement peer educati-
on models at universities in order to decrease possible
negative peer group effect. Peer education programs have
been used in many high schools and universities in our
country in the last five to six years. Volunteer and stu-
dent leaders are chosen by high school counselors and
students gain knowledge and skills within the scope of a
certain program. Then, students are encouraged to share
their problems through support and solidarity. Recent stu-
dies indicate that young people share their school-related
problems with their friends. Since university students
live apart from their families, peer groups are effective in
shaping the young people's behaviors and establishing
social rules.
WHYDOYOUNGPEOPLETURNTOWARD
USINGADDICTIVESUBSTANCES?
First and foremost, it is necessary to understand why
young people use substances. There might be various
reasons for this like having fun, meeting social and
emotional needs, getting away from problems, seeking
excitement or being rebellious. In any case, conforming
to substance abuse in adolescence is closely to related
to family or school problems. Experts put an emphasis
on certain points here:
●
Unhealthy relations among family members
●
Excessive discipline
●
Excessive comfortableness
●
Contradiction in parents' behaviors
●
Loss of a parent
●
Crowded family
●
Lack of supervision
●
Parents using alcohol, cigarettes or drugs
●
A family member having a psychiatric disease
Experts say that educators should be given the know-
ledge and skills about expression of feelings, verbal
and nonverbal behaviors, problem-solving techniques,
positive communication, emphaty, effective listening,
body language. Qualifications of good peer educators
and the method of approach are as follows:
●
Establishing connections:
An educator should be
able to establish a connection with other groups in
addition to having an impact on his/her own group.
●
Having a good command of the subject:
Educators
who are supposed to be more reliable for the target
audience should prepare an educational program
specific to substance use. Besides having funda-
mental knowledge about drug addiction, educators
need to give meaningful answers to questions. They
should also find and provide written resources on
the subject. Educators can involve people who have
suffered physically, mentally and economically from
substance abuse in the group and allow them to
give personal testimony. Moreover, they can benefit
from CDs, films and videos relating to subject.
●
Using different styles:
Peer educators should never
use a judgmental approach to the peer group or
individuals. They should attract their audience's
attention by using their body language and gestures,
changing the tone of their voice when necessary
and using their sense of humor to appeal to the peer
group or individual. Moreover, they should maintain
eye contact while speaking.
●
Giving real-life examples:
Educators, who are sup-
posed to have a solid grasp on how young people
perceive other individuals' thoughts and behaviors,
should encourage people from the community to
share their personal experiences. These include
academic figures who have conducted research on
the subject; police officers; former substance users
who have recovered; musicians, athletes, and artists
who used substances and successfully quitted.
Involving former substance users in this event
increases the likelihood for successful prevention of
drug use.
People who will provide peer education
should be sociable, reliable, sensitive,
emphatising, calm, flexible and be a role
model for others.
WHATMAKESAGOOD
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October-November-December 2015