A YOUTH charity is putting the fight against drugs centre stage.
Soulscape will use the arts including music, drama and film-making to help young people steer clear of alcohol and drug abuse.
Last year, Thames Valley Police sent a letter to parents of secondary school students across Wokingham in which they warned of a rise in anti-social behaviour.
They claimed it was linked to an increase in the use of cannabis and a drug called Xanax.
Now Wokingham-based Soulscape is taking an anti-drug message to primary and secondary schools across the borough.
It will use specially designed visual arts programme involving animation, dance and music to help build positive stories about life and having good goals.
The aim is to help young people realise they do not have to conform to social pressures and to make good decisions.
Jane Turner, Director of Soulscape said: “It became clear that our young people and their parents need help on this issue.
“So, working in partnership with schools, parents, and other youth agencies, we designed our new programme ‘Give and Take’ to look at the reasons why teenagers end up taking or selling drugs, and to equip them with the confidence and resilience to resist this pressure.”
“We hope that by working with children from primary age, we can prevent them becoming vulnerable to this sort of exploitation and the destructive addictions it can lead to.”
Jane added that drug networks are increasingly targeting teenagers in the borough, especially those who are lonely or vulnerable and without good support networks.
She said they offer a sense of friendship, belonging and excitement, and get them involved in drug use, running or dealing because children are less likely to be noticed or convicted.
The Soulscape programme will be rolled out this week and gradually move across all borough schools.
For more information, go to: soulscape.org.uk