Monbulk’s Angela Barnes will hold a seminar for parents on the importance of promoting drug awareness early in their children’s lives.By Shaun Inguanzo
MONBULK’S Angela Barnes will educate parents on the importance of exposing their children to drug education at an early age.
The 21yearold is now entering stage two of her drug education campaign, Clear Reality, aimed at eliminating drug abuse among young people in and around the Monbulk community.
Ms Barnes’s campaign is supported by drug awareness group Seeds of Hope.
Stage one saw Ms Barnes, her mother, local MPs, Monbulk police Sergeant Alan Fincher, and Seeds of Hope director Peter Wilson deliver informative speeches to more than 40 community members earlier this year.
Ms Barnes said she received positive feedback and will target her campaign directly at parents during stage two, kicking off with a seminar in October.
She said the reason for engaging parents was to encourage them not to leave drug education until their child was too old.
“It is too late if you start talking to kids at age 13.”
Ms Barnes said parents were not aware that even at primary school children were exposed to chatter about drugs, and that at secondary school it was ‘everywhere’.
“But if you start educating them at ages seven, eight or nine, they are going to be more forewarned,” she said.
Ms Barnes admitted she had used marijuana at a young age, and said it took a proverbial ‘punch in the face’ to wake up to the harmful reality of drugs.
“I saw a friend of mine in a psychiatric ward as a result of drugs and I decided I did not want to be him, and did not want to end up that way.”
Ms Barnes’s valuable insight will be on offer to parents on Thursday, 13 October between 7.30pm and 9.30pm at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Watch the Mail Snippets section in coming weeks for a confirmed venue.
