The VELDU drug education for our young people
The City of Hafnarfjörður, in collaboration with Heilsulausnir, will in the coming weeks offer students in Year 9. and 10th grades in Hafnarfjörður's primary schools the substance misuse education programme 'Choose with the Future in Mind', with the aim of informing our young people about the harmful effects of substances and addiction, whilst also strengthening their self-esteem. A remote learning session will be available for parents, allowing them to connect directly with the educators.
Hafnarfjörður in collaboration with The company Health Solutions In the coming weeks, educators from Heilsulausnir, who are qualified nurses, will be offering the 'Veldu' substance misuse education programme to pupils in Years 9 and 10 in Hafnarfjörður's secondary schools. The aim is to inform our young people about the harmful effects of substances and addiction, whilst also strengthening their self-esteem. Educators from Heilsulausnir, who are registered nurses by training, base their educational material on evidence-based sources as well as professional experience, and place an emphasis on the active participation of the young people themselves in the education.
Visits to the primary schools will be as follows (subject to change):
- 1 October – Skarðshlíðarskóli
- 6th October – Áslandsskóli
- 8 October – Lækjarskóli
- 13th October – Hvaleyrarskóli
- 20th October – Víðistaðaskóli
- 27 October – Öldutúnsskóli
- 27 October – NOW
- 29 October – Setbergsskóli
- 3 November – Hraunvallaschool
Online parenting education following a home visit
Parents are also offered an e-learning course on the same day as a visit to „their school“, where the main points of the presentation are reviewed and it is also possible to contact the trainers directly. The relevant school shares a link with the parents and/or guardians of the pupils receiving the training. The lecture
opens at 4 p.m. on the same days as the school's education takes place and is accessible until midnight on the same day.
in the evening. This gives parents and guardians eight hours to watch the lecture, as well as the opportunity to contact the lecturers within the same timeframe.
Everyone has choices! Let's help our young people make the right choices.
Every year, students in Years 8 to 10 in Hafnarfjörður's state schools take part in a major national survey on substance use. The emphasis is on assessing and specifically examining those factors that appear to be significant in young people's lives at any given time. For example, this year's survey included questions about young people's sleep patterns, caffeine consumption and e-cigarette use. Hafnarfjörður, like other municipalities participating in the survey, receives a special report for the municipality, and the results provide a specific picture of the lifestyle, attitudes and substance use of young people in Hafnarfjörður at any given time. The results of this year's survey, and the potential impact of Covid-19 on our community, prompted the Healthy City of Hafnarfjörður to embark on a project to further enhance the diversity of the robust preventative work already underway in the municipality. The survey results indicate a potential increase in the use of addictive substances among our young people, and this requires a response. The 'Veldu' substance misuse education programme was chosen.
Key figures for young people in Hafnarfjörður – results of a survey in February 2020
Effective prevention is the key to success and increased well-being.
The health-promoting town of Hafnarfjörður takes its preventative role seriously and, for some time now, has been offering education from role models and younger peer educators within Hafnarfjörður's primary schools. This approach has been well received by pupils, parents and school staff. The discussion is often more open and different, and is therefore considered a good addition to the education and encouragement that takes place in other ways through schools, youth clubs and/or youth centres. For example, the Hafnarfjörður musician Jón Jónsson has... the musician Jón Jónsson, for example, visits all Year 8 pupils at the start of each year to give a talk on a healthy lifestyle and e-cigarette use, and the mental health charity Hugrún visits Year 9 pupils to provide education on mental health, mental illness and available support. Positive and constructive preventative measures are designed to empower our young people and encourage them to make good choices and look after their health; both physically and mentally.
The drug education is called VELDU, which refers to everyone having a choice and the importance of deciding on the path one wants to take in life.