Original article posted on The Temiskaming Speaker (Joe O’Grady): https://speaker.northernontario.ca/planet-youth-anti-drug-program-funded/
TIMISKAMING DISTRICT-
A local program aimed at steering young people away from drugs and toward healthy alternatives will benefit from almost three-quarters of a million dollars in federal funding.
Nipissing–Timiskaming MP Pauline Rochefort said $743,859 has been earmarked for the Planet Youth initiative administered by Northeastern Public Health (NEPH). This investment, she said, will strengthen local prevention efforts and support healthier futures for young people in the region.
“Young people in Northern Ontario deserve every opportunity to thrive in safe, supportive environments. This investment will empower our communities to act on local knowledge, prevent substance use, and give youth the foundation they need to succeed,” Rochefort said.
Planet Youth is rooted in the Icelandic Prevention Model, an internationally recognized framework designed to reduce substance use and promote youth well-being. Developed in Iceland more than two decades ago, the model has seen youth substance use rates drop from nearly half of all young people to fewer than five per cent by 2023, health officials said.
Rochefort said the model emphasizes building communities where children and youth can thrive by reinforcing protective factors such as strong family connections, positive peer relationships, participation in sports and cultural activities, and active engagement in school life.
The funding will allow Planet Youth Temiskaming to put these principles into action through locally tailored interventions, identified using data collected in 2023 and through ongoing engagement with youth and three Local Action Teams across the district.
In addition, NEPH will collaborate with a University of Brock researcher to conduct intervention research. This partnership will generate new insights into youth prevention and explore how successful strategies can be adapted to the realities of northern, rural communities.
Northeastern Public Health director Randy Winters welcomed the funding news.
“We are extremely grateful for the continued support from the Public Health Agency of Canada to implement Planet Youth in our communities,” he said in the release.
“We also want to acknowledge the dedication of our community … partners, including youth and families, schools, municipalities, and local leaders, whose ongoing commitment to collaboration and youth well-being makes this work not only possible, but impactful,” he said.
