Drug and alcohol prevention workshops organized by ASOPAF, are taking place for middle school students and parents to create awareness about the risks and repercussions of these substances.

Sixth, 7th and 8th grade students will be receiving these workshops during the school day on December 5th, and a conference for parents is that same day at 6pm in the Columbus School theater. The school will be welcoming three psychologists, each with a different area of expertise to inform about these substances.

“For these tematics, it was crucial that as ASOPAF we hired true professionals to address and explore them [tematics] correctly, and provide the right information for the students and parents,” Patricia Sucerquia, ASOPAF director said.

Medellin has one of the highest drug consumption rates in Colombia, with 6.9% of the population compared to 2.9% in cities like Bogotá. Consequently, these conferences are programmed by the school every year and are considered utterly necessary for the students.

“Because of the age group that middle school kids are in, it is crucial we give them prevention on these substances; alcohol is the door that people more commonly take that leads them into developing a drug addiction,” Carolina Zuluaga, middle school counselor, said.

For TCS the pertinence of these events is evident, but parents are also aware of what these workshops and conferences mean for their kids’ future and how it could improve their way of educating them.

“These workshops will help the kids be a lot more conscious of reality, giving them tools to understand what these substances do. Also, the conferences will help us parents know exactly how to handle these situations,” Catalina Caicedo, 7th grade parent said.

Teenagers tend to reject this type of information about controversial topics such as the ones discussed in these events. However, most have begun to acknowledge the significance of these workshops because of the influence it has on their future decisions.

“Even if it isn’t something all students are excited to hear about, most of us have started to understand how important it is to have information on prevention for these substances,” Samuel Niño, 8th grade student said.

Staff members and directives hope that making the students more aware of this, will enhance their overall education, and most importantly shape them into better citizens.  

As stated by counselor Zuluaga, “Knowing how to make the right decisions is the most important skills they [students] need to learn, and through these events, they will have a better idea of the risks and consequences that come with acting incorrectly.”