Sniffing
petrol has grown to be a devastating social problem in many remote communities in
the aboriginal community. The effects of petrol sniffing are not only evident
on the individuals that engage in it but also the entire families to which such
individuals hail from. Its effects are also perpetrated by the level of social upheaval
that is present in the aboriginal community (Australian government, 2007). This study proposes a program designed with
the aim of reducing the incidence and impact of petrol sniffing in a local area
in the Australian aboriginal community by portraying viable inter-sectoral
actions that can reduce the prevalence of petrol sniffing. More specifically,
it highlights the importance of undertaking a multifaceted approach to deal
with the prevailing issues that force most young people to engage in this vice.
This is especially true because addressing the underlying factors that drive most
of the aboriginal youth into this vice; like limited access to education, poor
community structures, boredom, unemployment and the likes cannot be solved by a
single person or institution (Preuss, 2005).
Program
Specifics
Aims of the project
Petrol sniffing has been noted to have severe
psychological and health concerns to the community, families and the
individuals (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010, p. 306). This program aims to reduce the
effects, severity and combined social effects that already threaten the very
fragile bedrock the aboriginal community thrives on (Preuss, 2005).
Essentially, the program to be developed is generally aimed at reducing the
extent of petrol sniffing in the aboriginal community.
Program Framework
The practical approach to address the problem of
petrol sniffing in Australia’s aboriginal community rests in a community
initiated framework. It is obviously impractical for other players to come from
outside the community and impose a structured framework that’s going to work in
the aboriginal society. Initiative therefore needs to be started from within
the community itself. Despite immense willingness among the aboriginal
community in totality to eradicate petrol sniffing, it is important that their
desires and efforts are directed towards a structured framework.
Due to the eminent need to direct
the community’s efforts in building a structured framework to deal with petrol
sniffing, it is important that an outstation be built in a secluded place to deal
with petrol sniffers; especially those who would be willing to give up the
addiction. At the outstation, a program fully run by the community would be
undertaken to educate, prevent and rehabilitate the youth against this ill. This
will be the framework to which the entire community program is going to petition
the youth of the community to refrain from sniffing petrol. The program will be
run by volunteers who’d be willing to take care and educate chronic petrol
sniffers on its effects.
The program will however need to
be undertaken by the support of the family because this unit will be relied on
to identify petrol sniffers in the community and recommend them for the
program. Essentially, if there is a petrol sniffer within a family; family
members would recommend him/her for the program. Victims would be admitted for
a month. The program will be specifically run by members of the aboriginal
community who will also engage the youth in hunting expeditions, fruit
gathering sessions and other alternative activities. As part of the
rehabilitation process, the elders will educate the youth on the effects and
problems associated with petrol sniffing. This will help the youth expand their
knowledge on the subject and also help them make informed choices on their
lives. In addition, towards the last week of the program, the youth will be
shown alternative activities they can engage in; instead of petrol sniffing.
Alternative programs will involve discos, sports, film nights, and cultural
activities that relate to the aboriginal community.
Supply Reduction
and Harm Minimization
An alternative substance needs to be introduced to
replace the existing petrol type with the “high” effect. This strategy will be used to substitute substances that have a
high chemical composition that’s harmful to the users. In essence, users will
be provided with petrol that will not make them high. A good alternative would
be to introduce the low aromatic petrol called Opal to existing users (Preuss, 2005). This technique has an almost
immediate effect because it seeks to settle the psychological crave to sniff
but not exactly harming the body system.
Collaboration
The general community needs to
collaborate with all stakeholders in the community to curb this vice. Special
attention needs to be made to bring commercial entities, private stakeholders,
community elders and the government on board. However, most importantly the
youth would be expected to support the program at least by being willing to
give it a try.
Who will be
Consulted about the Project
This program adopts a multifaceted approach because
no one strategy can comprehensively address the problems that face the
aboriginal petrol sniffing community. In this regard, consultations have to be
made with existing stakeholders in the organization to ensure they support the
program the best way they can. The family unit and community elders are two
groups the program will rely on because they will essentially identify the
petrol sniffers and rehabilitate them respectively. Partnership from commercial
entities will also have to be forged because alternative youth activities like
dancing, sports and film nights will require their logistical support.
Capacity to Be
Built Within the Community
This program will be majorly
community initiated and therefore the entire community will be empowered to
take control of the ills that go on underneath their watch. The breakdown of
the program into family involvement, empowers family members to refrain from
shying to point out petrol sniffers in their midst and encourage the abusers to
seek help from the program. The program will therefore enable the community to
develop a sense of initiative, and also petition them to offer support and
operational help to the program.
Project Evaluation
A non aboriginal member of the community should be
consulted regularly; say, two times a week. This will provide a check to the
existing program due to their external worldwide views inputs (Preuss, 2005).
In addition, non aboriginal community members will also help in initiating
communication with the government; at least on levels the authentic aboriginal
community members would not be willing to go. The input of the government
should also be factored in to ensure the program runs in accordance with
existing country laws. Their support would be highly guaranteed because the
success of this program will also compliment their efforts to maintain a
peaceful community.
Expected Changes
The introduction of a community comprehensive
approach is expected to shift the existing paradigm and boost community
intervention at tertiary, primary and secondary levels. The identification of petrol
sniffers in the family is a mild approach to help addicts get the necessary intervention
through the community program; thereby not necessarily making them feel like
criminals, but part of the community. This strategy is different from a
government-like intervention that would arrest addicts; or any other extreme
measures governments take (Australian government, 2007).
The introduction of Opal fuel as an alternative fuel sniff
has had a good success rate in other existing contexts. The same is also
expected in this scenario. In fact, this method has been identified to have a
success rate of up to 80% (Australian government, 2007). Relatively, the introduction of Opal is expected to decrease the
prevalence of petrol sniffing in the community by similar margins. The
diversionary activities like outreach education and other broad range
activities is expected to make the youth preoccupied with other activities that
will be of benefit to them; as opposed to petrol sniffing. This is consequently
going to decrease the factors that drive the youth into the vice.
The communication and education
strategies are also expected to show the youth the right way of life because it
has been established that one of the primary reasons why the youth engage in petrol
sniffing is because of a lack of knowledge and sometimes, misinformed choices are
made out of misinformed knowledge (Preuss, 2005). The community is also expected
to be more integrated through overall participation in the program. This
outcome is highly expected because it has been widely established that the
aboriginal community has never been cohesive in dealing with the growing number
of petrol sniffing youth (Preuss, 2005).
Conclusion
The above petrol sniffing prevention program is
practical and most people in the aboriginal community can have a role to play
in it. The crucial pillars to this program rest on the fact that the program is
multifaceted, has a high community involvement, has a good cross cultural
relationships support and has a necessary foresight beyond the implementation
of the program. This program may also be complimentary to other initiatives of
preventing petrol sniffing in other communities. However, it should not be
assumed to be a blueprint to which all other petrol sniffing programs can be
addressed. The program is also exclusively related to the aboriginal community
and can never be replicated either. This program is therefore a most viable
structure to which the aboriginal community can reduce the prevalence of petrol
sniffing among its youth.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). 2008 Year Book Australia No. 90. Sydney: Aust. Bureau
of Statistics.
Australian government. (2007). Case-Study: Intersectoral
Action to Reduce Petrol Sniffing In
Remote Communities of Central Australia. Retrieved
9 September, 2010, from
www.who.int/social_determinants/.../isa_reduce_petrol_sniffing_aus.pdf
Preuss, K. (2005). Stopping Petrol Sniffing In Remote Aboriginal Australia: Key
Elements of the Mt Theo Program. Retrieved 9 September, 2010, from
http://www.mttheo.org/pdf/stopping_sniffing.pdf
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