School, as place to gain knowledge and as extension of family fostering, is preparing children for their next step in life and helps them as they grow up. Education, development and encouragement of competences, creativity and skills are strong foundation for children’s growth. School is a place where young person meets its peers and adults outside family home and because of that it is not only a place to learn, gain knowledge and skills. School is also source of stress for children and learning disabilities, and with it connected sense of failure and problems with peers represent additional source of stress. Dramatic increase in number of adolescents and children that in all younger age are starting to consume different addictive substances is associated with increased stress in adolescence, weakened support from society, but also with the influence of social context in which consuming alcohol or drugs is more and more socially acceptable behaviour (Mavar, M., 2012.). Adolescents that in stressful situations don’t have social support or means of their own to successfully cope with problems, can use different addictive substances as a way of coping with their problems. Most common indicated personal risk factors for addiction problems are inefficient strategies for coping with stress, low self-esteem, depression and hopelessness (Mavar, M., 2012.). Possibility of preventive actions is manifested in early recognition of symptoms of depression, creation of social support networks in cases of exposure to the stressful life events, adequate strategies for coping with problems and positive self-evaluation. Addiction prevention programme in city of Lepoglava is designed to influence the children’s view towards addiction through organization of activities for them with main task to educate, raise self-esteem and self-respect, develop skills and raise awareness for pressure resisting. All the above influences on creation of value system and attitude that prevents risky behaviour of children. Preventive programme will be implemented in school year 2013/14. In three primary schools in the wider Lepoglava area: Primary School Ante Starčević Lepoglava, Primary School Ivan Ranger Kamenica and Primary School Izidor Poljak Višnjica. Project is realized in partnership with Independent Youth Association Lepoglava, while schools are associate partners and they will participate in organization of workshops and they will also secure space for their implementation. Planed activities will be held during classes, and children will work on learning life skills, mastering pressure resisting strategies, solving anger management issues and stress, understanding and encouraging the need for closeness and group membership. Children will be familiarized with the work of non-governmental organizations from Lepoglava area which will help them to quality and constructively spend their free time. As for the way the programme is running, different teaching techniques are planned, like group work, group discussion, research, debate and role playing. Activities will be implanted by project manager (Ivana Šumečki) and associates, and all activities have the goal to develop healthy life styles and social skills in children and youth which will help them to overcome all the risks of growing up, consummation of addictive substances included.

Project goals:

• To change the attitude of children towards addiction
• Strengthening children’s self-esteem and self-respect, and developing skills and competences which will help them to cope with problems of growing up and making decisions for themselves
• Raising awareness about importance of resisting pressure which influences on creation of value system and attitude that prevents risky behaviour of children
• To promote proper attitude about healthy life style and to encourage children in inclusion in activities which will allow them to quality spend their free time

Lead partner:

Croatian Society of Red Cross Ivanec

Partner:

Independent Youth Association