Search Results for 'Pat Conway'

A new alcohol awareness campaign in Mayo is to target primary schoolchildren and their parents in the first programme of its kind in the country.

A unique Mayo Junior Certificate Results Night Group (MJCRNG), the only one of its kind in the country, is helping to keep teenagers safer when they head out to celebrate their Junior Certificate results.

Parents are key to ensuring that Junior Certificate celebrations next week to mark the end of exams are not marred by misuse of alcohol, according to a special group set up to reduce the overall harm caused by alcohol during Junior Cert nights out.

The Western Region Drug and Alcohol awareness week which runs from November 12 to 16 aims to increase awareness of drug and alcohol related issues and highlight the supports that are available.

Celebrate your Junior Certificate results in style without drink or drugs is the straight talking message to students and parents from a new group working to stop the harm and danger caused by alcohol to young people in Mayo every year.

“You’re not alone” in dealing with drug and alcohol misuse was the message today to Mayo towns and communities at the launch of the new Community Harm Reduction Initiative and advice website – Supportme.ie.

A combination of a focused community development project and determination by young people has finally yielded results. In early 2010, in response to community concerns, CorrAcla Teo called a public meeting where speakers from the Western Regional Drugs Task Force, (WRDTF) were invited to attend. The well-attended meeting elicited some very positive feedback in relation to steps needed to address the issue of drugs and alcohol.

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, who launched Mayo’s first Drug and Alcohol Awareness Week, said that a “drink culture” Ireland was not the type of country anybody wanted.

The Western Region Drugs Task Force (WRDTF) has called for a total ban on the advertising of alcohol and the reduction, density and hours of operation for outlets selling alcohol.

Recent findings have revealed that Mayo has the highest number of alcohol related deaths in the country, a startling, bleak figure, which shows the misuse of alcohol in the county and the need to address our society’s issue with alcohol. Locally, support and leadership is needed to make this happen and through the work of the Western Region Drugs Task Force, via their community liaison worker, help and advice is at hand.