Indigenous-led non-profit look to Icelandic model to prevent and reduce youth substance use in Port Alberni

By Nora O’Mally /Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Port Alberni, BC – The Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Society has embarked on the arduous journey of youth substance use prevention by turning to an upstream initiative called the Icelandic Prevention Model. The Icelandic Prevention Model is being used in hundreds of municipalities and communities around the world. The model is a community-based, bottom-up approach designed to deter adolescent substance use by focusing on holistic community building and long-term progress rather than standard short-term solutions. In the 1990s, Iceland ranked comparatively high amongst other European countries when it came to youth alcohol, tobacco and drug use. By pioneering and widely implementing the long-term, community-based prevention method, the country dramatically reduced substance use amongst Icelandic youth over the last 20 plus years. “We are using…

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