Research Institute for Child Psychology and Pathopsychology organizes under the requested auspices of MA Juraj Drexler, the minister of ecuation, science, research and sport of the Slovak Republik and Robert Kalinak, the minister of the interior of the Slovak Republic the 3rd International Expert Conference of the National Project with Workshops “Comprehensive guidance system for prevention and influencing of socio-pathological phenomena in the school environment” called
“Modernization of the counseling process – Basis Pillar of the Comprehensive guidance system in Slovak Republic” in Senec from 4th to 6th November 2015.
Aim of the conference is the presentation of the main outcomes of the National Project of VUDPAP, which have meaning and impact on the comprehensive guidance system, system of prevention and educational practice in Slovak Republic.
Main topics of the conference are:
– Guidance system and counseling process in EU countries – sharing good practice
– Educational, psychological and preventive needs of children and youth, and the possibilities for their assurance in school counseling and prevention facilities.
– Modernization and innovation of methods of psychological, pedagogical and social diagnostics in the school counseling system.
– Process analysis of activities of school counseling facilities as a condition of further optimization of their operations.
– Counseling processes in schools and counseling facilities and bases for their further optimization.
– Education and career guidance in school counseling process.
– KomposyT and the prospect of digitization of the comprehensive guidance process for 2020.
– Human resources development in the guidance system – education and supervision.
– Comprehensive research for the needs of the counseling and educational practices.
– Comprehensive guidance system in the resort, inter-resort and international context.
Please find more information on the web site of the National Project www.vudpap-project.sk.
This project and the educational event is co-financed from resources of the European Union.

The upcoming euro net network conference is taking place on the 4th November 2015 in Senec, Slovakia. For one thing the focus of the conference will be on the access to “hard to reach groups”, for another thing the network will adopt a position paper concerning E-cigarettes. Contentual the members of euro net will also exchange views about the topic of child protection.

Besides the final conference of the project “click for support” the euro net – network conference took place in Muenster, Germany  last week.
That gave Peter Koler from the Italian Forum Prevention the opportunity to introduce himself as the successor of Klaus Nothdurfter (Autonomous Province of South Tyrol).
The Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich) just established the research centre “Zentrum Inklusion und Gesundheit in der Schule” (centre for inclusion and health in schools). This centre is explicit aimed at prevention of addiction as a standard offer in schools. The reorientation and possibilities for cooperation with euro net have been presented by Roger Keller.
The focus of the meeting in Muenster was on the country-specific discussion on legalization of Cannabis. While the Dutchmen, who are said to be particularly liberal in the matter of the legalization of Cannabis, are rather backpedalling and reducing the number of coffee-shops drastically, some other European countries consider whether to follow the lead of the USA/ Colorado or Spain and to introduce so called “Cannabis-Social-Clubs”. Then again in other countries there is no political discussion about that topic to date.
The experts of prevention of addiction agreed about the fact, that there has to be a strict differentiation between synthetic Cannabis, Cannabis in medical context and Cannabis as a consumer good. The necessity of a particular protection of adolescents and young adults against harmful consumption has been seen by all participants of the conference.
There was also a consensus about the need of a reformation, which contributes to the decriminalisation of the possession and cultivation of Cannabis in certain cases and to the introduction of uniform standards.

Last week the final conference of the European project “Click for Support” organized by the LWL-Coordination Office for Drug-Related Issues took place in the city of Muenster, Germany.

The project team of “click for support” at the final conference in Muenster

The project addresses the gap between the (digital) living environment of young people and the professional and personal background of drug prevention experts in regard to online communication. To narrow this gap, a guideline for web-based interventions for young drug users has been developed together with 26 partners from 13 European countries.

The fact that the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Consumption (EMCDDA) has shown special interest in the project and has sent a representative to the final conference shows the project’s relevance and the need for further development of drug prevention in order to reach young people by using new media and modern technologies.
At the final conference the partners have met to make last adjustments to the guideline which will now be translated in ten European languages and disseminated in the partner countries and beyond.

The upcoming euro net network conference is taking place on the 10th June 2015 in Münster, Germany. For one thing the focus of the conference will be on the conclusion of the EU project “Click for Support”, for another thing the projects follow-up actions will be discussed.
Contentual the members of euro net will also exchange views about the topic of the legalization of cannabis.
At this network conference there are going to be 14 of the in total 17 participating countries represented.

Netstof.dk is the biggest drug prevention website in Denmark.
Netstof.dk has been running for four years, and the site has been a great success. Over 50,000 visitors annually (more than 1% of the Danish population) show that The National Board of Health was right when they chose to support the website. However in six month the support from The National Board of Health expires and if netstof.dk shall continue, it requires that the municipalities in Denmark start funding the operation through paid membership. The next year will tell whether such a model is durable.
The target group of netstof.dk is young people between 15 and 25 years who are at risk of developing drug misuse, or who wish to gain knowledge and answers to questions about drugs and the lifestyle that goes with it.

The first European conference on addictive behaviours and dependencies will be held in Lisbon on 23. – 25. September 2015. This conference will provide a unique networking opportunity for researchers, practitioners and policy experts across countries and discipline to discuss latest findings on the prevention, treatment and control of addiction.

It is organized by the Portuguese General Directorate for Intervention on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD), the journal Addiction, the EMCDDA and the International Society of Addiction Journal Editors (ISAJE). For more details: www.lisbonaddiction.eu

For the first time we have figures from the IMA (Inter Mutualist Agency) about how many young people enter in the emergency services after the abuse of alcohol. There was accurately recorded based on a blood test. 45 young people each week end their weekend in a hospital.

Regarding our national alcohol policy, young people in general need to be informed and sensitized about alcohol. But sensitization is not enough! A comprehensive alcohol policy means early intervention (FreD), supervision (TAKE CARE), regulation and control. This range of measures were all contained in the alcohol plan that a few months ago, unfortunately, was not adopted by the Federal Government.

It was the alcohol lobby that won the debat.

No structural financement for early interventions and stepped care.

No political strength to change the limit age for alcohol consume (16/18y in Belgium) and

still alcohol for sale in filling stations at the highway – 24h a day!

For more information click here

(Carlo Baeten, CAD Limburg)

The next network conference of euro net takes place in Münster / Germany on 10. June 2015. It follows the final conference of “Click for Support”. Main topics will be the results of Click for Support and how to deal with them as well as next steps.