Goals:
Creating cultural change in the attitude towards drugs and alcohol among youth.
Decreasing the drug and alcohol abuse among the immigrant population from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, and among the non-Jewish sector.
Training professional and qualified staff in the fields of medicine and education
- Increasing public awareness of laws relating to drugs and alcohol
- Encouraging parental involvement
- Establishing research, monitoring and evaluation systems
Main Activities:
In the Field of Information Dissemination:
- Launching campaigns to put the dangers of alcohol abuse on the public agenda
Distributing information at teen "hangout" spots
Operating four prevention programs via the portable information distribution alignment
Exposing 30,000 students and soldiers to the portable information distribution alignment
- Exposing 80,000 school students and soldiers to the "Addicted to Life" presentation
- Producing informative materials for a variety of target audiences.
In the Field of Legislation and Enforcement:
The National Anti Drugs and Alcohol Authority continues to act in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security in the promotion of legislation aimed at monitoring alcohol consumption in Israel, and to continue fining possession of "Synthetic Cannabinoids." The main efforts in the field of enforcement are focused on closing the borders to drug trafficking and to the relentless fight against the "new drugs" also known as "Kiosk drugs."
In the Community:
Seven new local authorities have joined the circle of communal fight against drugs and alcohol. These include, for the very first time, an ultra-Orthodox community and a Druze community.
The fight against drugs and alcohol abuse receives special treatment in terms of the communal activities, seen as: training programs for professionals are being conducted; the new acts that have come into effect have been implemented; and the vast activity is still being conducted, which combines parents, teens and professionals.
The continued integration of the National Service (Shirut Le'umi) volunteers from the non-Jewish sectors, and Civil Service (Shirut Ezrachi) volunteers from the ultra-Orthodox sector, in community work. Thus far, 24 volunteers from the non-Jewish sector and 22 volunteers from the Ultra-Orthodox sector have been integrated.
Sector-specific programs have been developed in anticipation of the launch of the program among the Ultra-Orthodox sector. These program are being implemented in small communities and neighborhoods populated by members of this particular sector.
In the Field of Research:
The field of research in the ministry is conducting about 50 researches a year, including poles; assessment researches; and applicable researches in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences, medicine and technology. It also grants research scholarships to M.A and Doctorate student, in order to encourage the academic reserve program.
This year, the authority has began the development of a National Monitoring Center for Drugs and Alcohol, that will serve as the national data base as well as the basis for comparing substance abuse data with other countries around the world. The authority is participating in an international research conducted by the World Health Organization on the subject of: Risky Behaviors among Children and Teens. The research also includes questionnaires on the subject of drugs, alcohol and the sense of personal security.
In the Field of Education and Prevention:
The implementation of the Ministry of Education and the formal school system's joint strategy continues, with emphasis on the sixth to twelfth grades. 75% of the Ministry of Education's various school districts conduct prevention activities on the subject of drug and alcohol abuse.
Specific efforts are being placed on cooperation with the Student Body and the various youth movements, in order to recruit teens to participate in prevention activities. As part of these efforts, leadership seminars have been conducted for the National Student Body, with 1,200 teens in attendance, and youth movement counselors have participated in special training programs.
The designated activity for at risk teens has been expanded. As part of the expansion, a specific prevention program has been constructed especially for the youth villages and boarding schools.
The prevention activity also includes the student population, which is known as a population with a high risk of drug use (studies conducted by the authority indicated that over 30% of students use drugs). Prevention coordinators have been placed in seven campuses, and at the same time- training and lectures on the issue of drugs and alcohol have been provided for the student consultation staffs and universities and colleges across the country.
The "Yes to Sports, No to Drugs" prevention program has been improved and upgraded, and it is currently operated in participation with the Ashalim Association for Planning and Development of Services for At-Risk Children's community division (Tchum Kehila), and with the children and youth division of the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services in 50 groups within the community; all as part of a joint project operated by the authority and the Ha'poel Tel-Aviv Association's Culture and Society division.
There are over a 100 groups for the detecting and identification of teens at risk of substance abuse (The OPI program), operating in high schools under the guidance of school counselors, who have undergone particular training for the operation of this program.
A specific prevention program for soldiers, who are about to be discharged, has been conducted since yearly this year. The program is aimed at 3,000 soldiers who are about to complete their service and head out to the "big trip" abroad. This is the final station in a young person's life when they are still considered "captive listeners", and so it is possible to convey educational messages to them and provide them with the tools and information that would prevent them from abusing drugs or alcohol.
In the Field of Treatment and Rehabilitation:
The "Aviv" center in Tel-Aviv/Jaffa, which contains the Subutex clinic and the Methadone clinic, which also serves as a social club, both provide treatment and solutions for about 300 patients. The rehabilitative-therapeutic village "Ruach Ha'midbar" (Desert Wind) has been operating within the Ramat Ha'negev regional council. The place was established during the second half of 2010, and since then it has provided solutions for teens and adults living in the south of Israel.
The IPS and the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority are jointly operating a common rehabilitation program for prisoners and ex-convicts, both addicted to drugs and those who are already "clean". This is done in order to prevent recidivism (repetitive delinquency) and a relapse back to substance abuse.
The "Services for Drug and Alcohol Victims in Israel" information pamphlet has been distributed during late 2010 as a joint initiative of the authority and the Ministries of Health and Welfare. The pamphlet has also been translated to Russian.
Development of External Relations and International Cooperation:
The field of developing external relations and conducting international cooperation deals with the authority's external connections and its relations with national and international authorities, organizations and institutions. It deals with four main issues:
Furthering the authority's activity with the UN establishments.
Furthering the activity with the EU establishments and other European organizations.
Strengthening the professional bonds with other states and international organizations.
Formalizing regional cooperation.