About R.O.A.C.H.
This is our main purpose:
The education of young people in Northamptonshire aged between 11 and 16 about the long term psychiatric harm that cannabis use can cause.
What we do:
The programme will delivered in schools during a period allocated to Personal and Social Education.
The Leader of the programme during the lesson will be a volunteer [Mrs Vanessa Turvey] who will provide each child with a printed instructional booklet and a headset.
The activities the children will take part in will be interactive including the use of the headsets to create brief transmissions of sounds which give the impression of the psychotic disturbance experienced by cannabis users. A quiz will be used to assist in the evaluation of the impact of the messages.
Why the project is needed:
It is well known that young people experiment with “soft drugs” believing that no harm will come of it. Young people need to be provided with the information about the long term dangers of drug use if they are to make informed choices about their lifestyle and the risks they will encounter. It is also widely accepted that early intervention is necessary before they have had a chance to “enjoy” the experience.
No other similar programme has been found to exist and if successful it will be a simple, effective and low cost education tool which fits well with the personal development and “Every Child Matters” objectives of every school.
The three schools that have currently been approached have told us that the programme is needed and supports their curriculum objectives.
It will start as a pilot project and will take place during the academic year 2009-10 in five schools covering up to a total of 40 classes. If successful the programme will be developed to include more Leaders to cover all secondary schools in Northamptonshire. In the first year we anticipate that more than 300 pupils will take part in the programme.
The organisation pilot study has been financially supported by the Northamptonshire Community Foundation Grass Roots Funds.
Our experience and capacity to deliver the project:
Vanessa Turvey is an experienced support worker and will carry out the programme. Currently providing NHS mental health support at Princes Marina Hospital, Northampton, she was previously employed for over 10 years in a psychiatric unit of St Andrews Hospital Northampton. She has considerable experience with patients who have developed psychotic behaviour after using cannabis. She also has first hand experience gained when her son was adolescent and two friends suffered psychotic episodes as a result of cannabis use.
Management Committee Structure
Please click here to view our committee structure.
How we will show that the project has made a difference?
Data will be collected on:
Numbers of children who have attended the sessions
Pupil feedback - responses to the quiz
Pupil feedback – impact reports
Teachers feedback - assessment of pupil behaviour
