Ógra Shinn Féin Spring School
Young people in Ireland are faced at all turns with the opportunity to dabble in drugs of one kind or another. In a recent National Youth Council survey, 53% of respondents between the ages of 15 and 24 stated that they had taken illegal drugs. Twelve per cent of those surveyed were taking drugs regularly, once/twice a week.
Ogra Shinn Féin is dedicated to dealing with such social
problems head on and our Spring School, organised for the weekend of
25/26 March, is part of this policy. The Spring School will be held at
The Hillgrove Hotel in Monaghan Town over the weekend. The Saturday is
solely concerned with discussing the drugs crisis and will include
speakers from the Falls Community Council, the Coalition of
Communities against Drugs and the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign.
There will also be contributions from Sinn Féin representatives
Bairbre de Brún (Assembly Member), Caoimhghín O
Caoláin (TD) and Daithí Doolan (Chairperson of Dublin
Sinn Féin). The workshops and talks will range from a
presentation on `prevention and rehabilitation' to a seminar on
awareness of the dangers associated with different substances. There
will also be a debate on the legalisation of cannabis. On the Sunday,
social issues such as AIDS, family planning and homelessness will be
discussed, with speakers from the Dublin AIDS Alliance, the Irish
Family Planning Association and Focus Ireland.
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