Kids Can! is a Health Canada funded program for all grade 6 students in the English Montréal School Board.
The program was designed as a response to the alarming rates of drug abuse amongst Canada’s and in particular, Quebec’s youth as well as the research suggesting that children are being exposed to and experimenting with drugs at an earlier age. An abundance of literature demonstrates the importance of early intervention and preventative efforts in reducing adolescent substance abuse. As such, Kids Can! is a preventative effort that is geared toward informing youth of what drugs are, the risks that accompany their usage, and how they can resist pressure and engage in healthy decision-making and behaviors. By administering the curriculum while children are still in elementary school, he goal is to equip them with the knowledge and tools they will need upon entry into high school. Students are encouraged to role play responses to peer pressure, to understand media messages and to integrate the information they need about drug use to make wise personal decisions. Over the next three years, all EMSB grade 6 students will have the opportunity to participate. Their parents and teachers are being sent manuals with resource information and discussion points as the students go through the 6-week program.

We hope that you enjoy the enclosed parents’ manual which brings you important information, resources and parenting strategies. To download the password protected manual please click here:
Information:
Barbara Victor 514.342.0000, ext. 3430
Barbara.victor@ometz.ca