Drug and Alcohol Education in Whistler

These kids have a lot of knowledge! As a new member to the WCSS Outreach team, it has been super exciting to be involved with the youth in Whistler. One of my new roles is getting into the classrooms to teach our Healthy Choices program. Some of the topics we cover are: decision making, bullying, acceptance, nutrition, drugs and alcohol, toxic chemicals and risk management.

Every time I have a chance to work with these kids I am blown away at how intuitive they are. Some examples are: one grade four student was very keen to educate his classmates on the efforts large corporations make to market sugary products to children. Right!? At the high school, students are quite aware that Whistler has a unique demographic and they are mindful of what that means for access to substances.

My favorite thing about this program is that it does not tell youth what decisions are right or wrong, rather; it equips them with the knowledge and critical thinking skills, which allows them to make their own choices. Empowering these kids with the information and confidence to think independently is very important to me, and the best news is, it can be really fun!