Not in my backyard: Strathmore zeroes in on youth

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

While many have turned a blind eye to recent issues affecting Strathmore’s youth, others are homing in on combating the town’s growing drug problem.
Members of the Youth Club of Strathmore and Town of Strathmore staff have noticed an increase in the town’s younger population’s affiliation with addictive substances, graduating to the more dangerous likes of ecstasy, crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl.
According to those directly involved with the youth, a lack of education, parent involvement and resources within the community are contributing to the growing trend.
“There’s definitely a drug problem, and we’re seeing a really big increase at the junior high level, and more than just pot which is to me very concerning,” said Shannon Zieman, program director with the Youth Club of Strathmore.
“It’s not just pot and beer in the skate park, it’s bigger drugs that are being used and it seems to be targeting that younger group now. I don’t think it’s hidden; I think people don’t want to talk about it, it’s that whole ‘not in my backyard’ attitude that people have. Even for parents, it’s ‘oh my kid wouldn’t do that.’ Then everybody gets hyper-focused on an incident and social media blows everything out of proportion.”
Five years ago, the club introduced the Eyes and Skills for Life programs in conjunction with Golden Hills School Division, that focuses on self-esteem, anger management, stress management, and drug and alcohol awareness. The program initially attracted only eight girls, but has since grown to include 90 teenagers from the junior high school level and roughly 40 individuals from the senior high school.
While the club has 10 programs in place as well as summer programs, day camps and workshops, Zieman said more actions need to be taken to address the issues at hand – starting with parents gaining awareness and getting their kids involved in community programs and activities. Furthermore, she added that collaboration is necessary between other programs and the town.
“I’m a firm believer that parents have to take a more active role in their kids’ lives,” she said.
“I think parents have to get back in control and I think education is part of that.
Everybody is so quick to blame the kids but parents have to take responsibility. The response we’ve gotten from the town has been very positive and supportive so I feel they’re on board and in agreement that we need to do something.”
Over the last four years, the club’s Outreach and Program Coordinator Hannah Magee logged hours of overtime, building connections with the youth. She emphasized that having a place for youth to hang out is not enough and could possibly be a breeding ground for trouble. Instead, she acknowledged the importance of providing activities to keep youth engaged and involved while strengthening those relationships.
On June 21, the Youth Club of Strathmore was officially moved under the Town of Strathmore umbrella. Realizing their common goal and having been involved with the organization over the years, the town is well aware of the situation.
“Recently there’s been a lot of issues with drugs,” said Tracy Simpson, senior manager of community services with the Town of Strathmore.
“I don’t know if we really have a handle on what the problem is, but Shannon and her team are very hands-on with the kids. We’re not sure how we’re going to tackle it yet but it’s definitely on our radar.”